Duelist of Rocks, Ishi Shihai
by salazare
Summary: Ishi Shihai and his friend, Iwashi Obi, both lived in an orphanage until they were sixteen, and took the Duelist Academy Entrance Exam. Both in Ra Yellow, they must overcome the obstacles of the present, and free themselves from the past. Story Completed.
1. Entrance Exam: Ishi Shihai

_Ishi..._

_Ishi..._

Ishi Shihai was in a dark room, a single set of window and door closed off with some sort of material. For a while, he had believed himself to be alone.

"Who's there?" he called out. Someone must have spoken, for walls could not speak...

_Ishi..._

"Who's calling me?" he called out again. "Show yourself!"

_You left us, Ishi..._

"Left you...?" he was shocked. "Wait, could you be..."

_You left us, Ishi...you and Iwashi Obi..._

"Stop, please stop..." he said. "Please stop...

"Yoriko..."

Chapter One:

Entrance Exam: Ishi Shihai

Ishi woke up, breathless.

"Damn." he said. "Forget! Forget! Forget!"

_That's all in the past._

He got out of his small bed, in the small room he was in. It was his room, in the Yotsui Orphanage.

In the room were his few possessions. A duel disk, a deck of Duel Monsters cards, and a chain of connected rocks, each shining in the sunlight from the window.

He took in a breath of air, opening the window.

"It's a new day." he said. "And today, I'm going to take the entrance exam...to enter Duelist Academy!"

The door to his room slammed open.

"And don't forget me! Your good friend, Iwashi Obi!"

Ishi had fallen in surprise when Iwashi burst in, hitting his head on the ground.

"Damn it, Iwashi!" yelled Ishi. "Knock first, please!"

"Come on!" said Iwashi, ignoring Ishi's words. "If you're gonna explain to yourself what's gonna happen today, at least get it right! You missed two big things!"

"One being that I forgot you..." said Ishi. "What's the other one?"

"That you and I are both going to pass with flying colours!" exclaimed Iwashi. "How could you forget that?"

"How, indeed." said Ishi, sighing. "Look, we don't have too many good cards. At this rate, we only have about a twenty-five percent chance of getting in!"

"Heh." said Iwashi. "You have too little faith! We shall overcome any obstacle, crushing the testers in our way! We shall go on together, in order to bring fame to the orphanage that raised us since-!"

"Stop there." said Ishi coldly.

"Oh, sorry Ishi." said Iwashi. "I didn't know that you still felt bad about that..."

"I said to shut up about it." said Ishi.

Iwashi said nothing, and a knock came at the door.

"You remember to close the door, but not to knock?" asked Ishi.

"Ishi!" said a voice. "Breakfast!"

"Yes, Yone!" said Ishi.

"And don't forget your exam that you have today!" continued Yone.

"Thank you for reminding me, Yone!" said Ishi.

"Any time!" replied the woman.

Ishi and Iwashi both walked out the door.

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The two friends, Ishi and Iwashi, were both sixteen years old. They each had brown hair, and each had jet-black eyes. Their height was roughly the same, and they both wore their hair at the length of their neck.

And, at this moment, they were both moving their hair around a bit.

"Gah, why do you even want to look good for this exam?" asked Iwashi. "Do looks even matter?"

"They won't hinder." said Ishi. "Only help."

"Ye speak in riddles!" said Iwashi.

"Funny." said Ishi. "Are you ready, though?"

"Hell yeah." said Iwashi. "Let's go!"

They were both standing outside of the area where the entrance exams were being held.

"Let's go..." said Ishi. "To our future!"

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The test written was hard. The people were many. The cards were strong.

Ishi and Iwashi were ready.

"Would Ishi Shihai please report to dueling field number one?" said a voice over the megaphone.

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "Lucky number one!"

Ishi nodded.

"Good luck, Ishi!" called Iwashi, as Ishi walked away.

"Thanks." said Ishi, walking down towards the field.

As he reached the field, his opponent, the teacher, smiled.

"Nice to meet you." said he. "My name is Kenneth Nishimoto, and I'll be your opponent for the moment."

"And I'm Ishi Shihai." said Ishi. "Are you ready?"

The duel disks were activated. "Let's duel."

Ishi: 4000

Nishimoto: 4000

"I'll start!" said Ishi. "Felsic Warrior- Granite (1700/800) starts off in attack mode! I end my turn!"

"A regular monster with only seventeen hundred attack points?" muttered Nishimoto to himself as he drew. "Is he trying to draw me into an attack?"

Shrugging off his worries, he placed a monster into his duel disk. "La Jinn (1800/1000) will crush your warrior."

The mist monster rose up from a lamp, and attacked the Felsic Warrior.

Ishi: 3900

Ishi said nothing in response to the attack.

"I end my turn with a face-down card." said Nishimoto.

Ishi drew, looking at his newly-drawn card.

"Good." said Ishi. "I play Mafic Warrior- Gabbro (1800/500), who will now attack La Jinn, crushing it!"

_Does he even know how to play this game?_ Thought Nishimoto. "Sorry, but since our monsters attack points are equal, both monsters will die."

"Only normally." said Ishi. "Gabbro's effect is that he gains three hundred attack points in a battle where he is the attacker (1800 + 300)!"

"Nice move." complimented Nishimoto.

Nishimoto: 3700

"Alright." said Nishimoto. "No more mister nice guy!"

Ignoring him, Ishi set a card face-down. "My turn ends."

Nishimoto drew, and glanced at his new card. "I'll set a monster in defense mode, and end my turn!"

_Heh. Try and attack that monster after summoning another!_

"Let's see." said Ishi. "My new monster will be Felsic Warrior- Rhyolite (1600/1300). I now attack your face-down monster with Gabbro!"

"My face-down monster is Ancient Lamp (900/1400)!" said Nishimoto. "And my Lamp will re-direct your attack to your new monster! And since your monster's attack goes up..."

"Alright." said Ishi.

Ishi: 3400

"I end my turn." said Ishi.

_Not distressed at all!_ Thought Nishimoto. "I'll...use my Lamp's effect, special summoning another La Jinn (1800/1000) from my hand. I also set a face-down card, and end my turn."

Ishi drew. "I set a monster in defense mode, and attack La Jinn with Gabbro!"

"Activate trap card!" said Nishimoto. "Reinforcements! Now La Jinn gains five hundred attack points, which leaves Gabbro as a weaker card!"

"I fell for another trap..." said Ishi.

Ishi: 3200

"Heh." said Nishimoto. "Try winning now!"

"I end my turn." said Ishi.

Nishimoto drew, and pointed to Ishi's set monster. "Go, La Jinn! Kill his monster!"

Ishi smiled as his monster was revealed. "Mafic Warrior- Basalt (900/2100) is stronger, it seems."

"Damn it." said Nishimoto.

Nishimoto: 3400

"Fine, I end my turn." said Nishimoto.

Ishi drew, and revealed his set card. "Monster Reborn will revive Felsic Warrior- Rhyolite (1600/1300) in attack mode.

"Why Rhyolite?" asked Nishimoto. "Why not Gabbro, and kill La Jinn?"

"It doesn't matter who I revive, for I only need two sacrifices."

_Just like you, sacrificing whoever you want for your own gain._

Ishi grabbed his head, and sent the two monsters to the graveyard. "I sacrifice Rhyolite and Basalt in order to summon Ultramafic Lord- Kimberlite (2500/2600)!"

The dark-coloured rock-beast rose with might, grinning (though it was very surprising to see a rock with a face for Nishimoto).

"Now he attacks La Jinn!" said Ishi. "And his first effect is that the first monster he destroys had its defense taken out of your Life Points!"

"Crap." said Nishimoto.

Nishimoto: 1700

"Nice move, again." said Nishimoto. "But I have my plans as well..."

"Whatever you say." said Ishi. "I set a card face-down, and end my turn."

"My turn." said Nishimoto. "And we'll see your monster fall! I play my own Monster Reborn, reviving La Jinn! And then I sacrifice them both in order to summon...Buster Blader (2600/2300)!"

The warrior rose, bowed, and ran towards Kimberlite!

"He attacks!" yelled Nishimoto, while Ishi only gave a faint smile.

"Kimberlite's second effect is that the first monster to attack him has its attack negated." replied Ishi simply.

"Don't you ever give up?" asked Nishimoto.

"Never." said Ishi.

"Whatever." said Nishimoto. "I end my turn with a face-down card."

Ishi drew, and pointed towards the Blader. "Kimberlite attacks! His third effect is that the second monster he attacks will suffer a three hundred attack point loss while facing him!"

"I chain my trap card!" said Nishimoto. "Magic Cylinder! Now you lose the same amount of Life Points as your monster's attack points!"

"That's a lot..." said Ishi.

Ishi: 700

"I set a card face-down." said Ishi. "And then my turn ends."

"I draw!" said Nishimoto. "First I switch Ancient Lamp into attack mode, and then my Buster Blader will finish off Kimberlite!"

Ishi: 600

"Ancient Lamp will now attack you directly!" said Nishimoto. "Sorry, but now you've failed!"

"Are you so sure?" asked Ishi. "I play my trap card, Call of the Haunted! Revive, Ultramafic Lord (2500/2600)!"

"Crap..." said Nishimoto. "I call back my Lamp's attack, and end my turn..."

"My turn." said Ishi. "And the final turn."

"What do you mean?" asked Nishimoto. "Even if you crush my Lamp, I'll still have one hundred Life Points left!"

"No, I don't plan to finish off your Lamp." said Ishi.

"My Blader...?" asked Nishimoto, with a laugh. "What a joke! You couldn't kill him!"

"Not normally." said Ishi. "But if I summon Felsic Warrior- Obsidian (500/500) in attack mode...Kimberlite will be strong enough."

"And what's so good about Obsidian?" asked Nishimoto.

"Obsidian is a union monster." said Ishi. "I can equip him to any monster with mafic, felsic, intermediate, or ultramafic in its card name. And when equipped to that monster, said monster gains five hundred attack and defense points."

"What the...but you still haven't explained how you can finish me off..." said Nishimoto.

"Ultramafic Lord- Kimberlite (3000/3100) will now attack Buster Blader!"

The Blader was crushed under the might of Kimberlite's new Obsidian blade, and Nishimoto's Life Points were reduced.

Nishimoto: 1300

"Heh." said Nishimoto. "You could've killed my Lamp and won. But now...what the hell?"

His Life Points has been reduced further.

Nishimoto: 0

"How...?"

"Don't you remember?" asked Ishi. "My monster's effect. The first monster he kills has its defense points deducted from your Life Points."

"But that was the third monster..." said Nishimoto.

"No." said Ishi. "It was the first. He was destroyed and revived, remember?"

"Oh no..." said Nishimoto. "So his effects were reset..."

"That's right." said Ishi. "Good game, though."

"Yes..." said Nishimoto. "Good game. It was fun playing against you. I hope to see you around."

Ishi walked off, and looked curiously at the next duelist who entered the area he was in.

It was Iwashi Obi, his friend.

"Iwashi..." said Ishi.

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Next Time:

_Entrance Exam: Iwashi Obi_

_Ishi Shihai has passed the entrance exam, but now his best friend (Iwashi Obi) has to take it! Is Iwashi even stronger than Ishi, with sword-bearing cards?_

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Author's Note: I'm taking a break from Legendary Shadows for now. So please enjoy this new story and other stories while I get back into the mood for LS.

This chapter is twice as long as the normal length of my chapters, so don't expect this length always. :)

-Salazare

P.S. Ishi Shihai's cards were originally supposed to have been played first in Legendary Shadows. They still will be, and in a chapter that will be soon:-D


	2. Entrance Exam: Iwashi Obi

Chapter Two:

Entrance Exam: Iwashi Obi

"Ishi..." said Iwashi. "So you passed. Now it's my turn."

Iwashi said this to himself as he faced Kenneth Nishimoto, the teacher that Ishi defeated.

"Nice to meet you, Iwashi Obi." said Nishimoto. "My name is Kenneth Nishimoto. Shall we duel, now?"

"Of course." said Iwashi. "Ready whenever you are."

Iwashi: 4000

Nishimoto: 4000

"And I'm ready now!" said Nishimoto. "I'll start with Giant Red Seasnake (1800/800) in attack mode! I end my turn!"

Iwashi drew, and smiled. "Great! I play Young Swordsman- Yahiko (1500/1200) in attack mode!"

A young man with hair sticking up, dressed in old-Japan clothes appeared, drawing a shinai from his back.

"Next I play Yahiko's Bokuto!" said Iwashi. "This'll give Yahiko an extra four hundred attack points!"

"Damn." said Nishimoto.

"Attack the Seasnake!" yelled Iwashi.

Nishimoto frowned. "Again..."

Nishimoto: 3900

"I end my turn with a face-down card!" said Iwashi.

Up in the stands, Ishi sighed. "Always so rash. Iwashi, why can't you use a calm strategy?"

Iwashi sneezed. "Excuse me."

"No problem." said Nishimoto. "Alright, I set a monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"Heh, so simple!" said Iwashi. "I summon Brawler- Sanosuke (2000/700) in attack mode!"

Dressed in a karate outfit with the same hair style as Yahiko, Sanosuke raised his fists as a challenge to Nishimoto.

"Now, Yahiko attacks your face-down monster!" said Iwashi.

"Heh!" said Nishimoto. "Ancient Lamp (900/1400) re-directs the attack to Sanosuke!"

"The same card he used against me..." muttered Ishi.

Iwashi: 3900

"Fine." said Iwashi. "Sanosuke will still destroy your Lamp."

"Is that all?" asked Nishimoto.

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "For now."

"Then let's go with this!" said Nishimoto. "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two! And the two I discard are Dark Magician and La Jinn! So next face the power of...Monster Reborn!"

"Oh, crap!" said Iwashi.

"That's right. I revive...Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

The magician, dressed in purple, smiled as he raised his staff towards Sanosuke.

"Attack!" said Nishimoto.

"Damn..." said Iwashi (ILP: 3400).

"Alright. I end my turn." said Nishimoto.

"I draw. And then I summon a new monster! Go, Kamiya Dojo Instructor- Kaoru (1700/1500)!"

"Heh, playing defense?" asked Nishimoto. Kaoru was kneeling.

"Well, I'm not stupid." said Iwashi.

"Good point." laughed Nishimoto.

"My turn ends." said Iwashi.

"Draw!" said Nishimoto. "Alright! Let's have my Magician attack Kaoru!"

"Hmph." said Iwashi. "Is that all?"

"Ha. Very funny." said Nishimoto. "I'll crush you for mimicking me. I end."

Iwashi drew. "Now, Nishimoto. It's time for you to face one of my favourite cards. Go, Rurouni- Kenshin (1900/1900)!"

The warrior smiled, red hair and cross-shaped scar making him stick out like a sore thumb.

"I see..." said Nishimoto. "I finally get it. A _Rurouni Kenshin_ deck."

"Yes." said Iwashi. "And now I play an equip spell! Kenshin's Sakabato! This will increase his power by five hundred attack points (2400/1900)!"

Kenshin drew his sword, and continued with his cheerful smile.

"So?" said Nishimoto. "That doesn't make a difference!"

"I play my spell card, Battosai Transformation!" said Iwashi. "Now Kenshin will gain eight hundred attack points...as he goes into Battosai mode (3200/1900)!"

"Rurouni- Kenshin in Hitokiri Battosai mode." muttered Ishi. "One of Iwashi's lethal moves."

"Crap..." said Nishimoto.

"But I'm not like Ishi." said Iwashi. "I'm not just going to let a powerful monster sit around for more than one turn, spreading out his attacks...I'm going to crush you with all that I've got! I play the spell card, Double Attack!"

"Double crap..." said Nishimoto.

"And I discard my level 5 Imposter- Gohei from my hand for the cost of attacking twice." said Iwashi.

"Damn it..." said Nishimoto. "This means..."

"Yup." said Iwashi. "Kenshin, attack the Dark Magician!"

Kenshin sliced the Dark Magician, not killing him...but still sending him to the graveyard.

Nishimoto: 3200

"And now..." said Iwashi. "Kenshin, finish him!"

"Damn...it..." said Nishimoto.

Nishimoto: 0

"Congrats, though." said Nishimoto. "You've gotten in."

"Alright!" said Iwashi. "Now I'm in, too!"

Ishi smiled, and yelled to him from the stands. "Great job, Iwashi!"

Iwashi smiled, and made a thumbs-up sign to Ishi. "Thanks Ishi, you too!"

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Ishi sat in his bed. He smiled to himself.

_Iwashi and I both got in._

He smiled again. _We beat the odds._

_Making sacrifices..._

"No..." he whispered. "Please, stop, Yoriko..."

_You left us..._

"I'm sorry..." he said.

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Next Time:

_The Girl With Lots of Heart_

_Ishi Shihai and Iwashi Obi have both made it into Duelist Academy, Ra Yellow dorm. But only surprises await them as a female duelist challenges Ishi to a duel! Her name is Yoshiko Takana, and her deck has one thing that definitely isn't missing: heart._

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Author's Note: Ah, this story is getting to be fun. I was able to get two chapters up in one day!

Maybe even one more:)

Well, I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but...

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	3. The Girl With Lots of Heart

Chapter Three:

The Girl With Lots of Heart

"Wow!" said Iwashi.

As both Ishi and Iwashi entered the dorm, they were amazed at the size of it, compared to their rooms at home.

"Amazing." said Ishi. "This is...pretty big."

"'Pretty big'?" quoted Iwashi. "This is one hell of a room!"

"I agree." said a voice. "They really put a lot into the Ra Yellow dorms. Well, not as much as Obelisk Blue...but still a lot."

Iwashi and Ishi turned around to see a small boy, smiling at them. He spoke, "Hello. My name is Miro Miyake. It's nice to meet you two."

"Yes...you as well." said Ishi. "My name is Ishi Shihai, and this is my friend...Iwashi Obi."

"Ah, first years as well?" asked Miro.

"Yes." said Iwashi.

"Ah." said Miro. "Well, are you up for a look around campus after we put our stuff away?"

"Sure!" said Ishi, while Iwashi shook his said.

"Sorry." said Iwashi. "But I just wanna rest for now."

"Your loss." shrugged Miro.

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"What a big campus!" said Ishi.

"Yeah." said Miro. "I'm amazed."

The cry was so sudden, neither of them would have suspected it.

"WAHHHH!"

"What the hell?" cried Miro, he and Ishi turning around to see...a girl who had tripped. She was wearing a Ra Yellow blazer.

"Ow!" said the girl. "Damn it!"

Ishi walked over, and offered his hand. "Do you need help...um...?"

"Yoshiko." said the girl, accepting his hand. "Yoshiko Takana. Thanks."

"No problem." said Ishi.

He was staring at Yoshiko, seeing that she was fairly un-pretty.

"Um..." said Yoshiko. "You can let go of my hand, now..."

"Oh, sorry!" said Ishi. "My apologies!"

He let go of her hand, and they both laughed.

"Say." said Yoshiko. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"Um, yes." said Ishi.

"Ah, me too!" said Yoshiko. "Say, would you mind dueling me? I need to test something, if you don't mind..."

"Huh?" asked Ishi. He was surprised at the sudden request. "Um, well, sure. I don't mind. By the way, my name is Ishi Shihai. And this is Miro Miyake."

"Great!" said Yoshiko. "Then, can we start now?"

"Huh?" said Ishi. He had his duel disk on, and deck in place. "Sure...I guess."

"Great!" said Yoshiko. "Let's duel, then!"

They both stepped back from each other, and Miro stepped on to the sidelines. Both duel disks activated, and smiles were exchanged.

Ishi: 4000

Yoshiko: 4000

"I'll start!" yelled Yoshiko. "Pure of Heart- Destroyer (1900/400) is summoned in attack mode!"

An evil-looking man with a glare in his eyes grinned evilly at Ishi.

"_That guy_ is pure of heart?" asked Ishi, surprised.

"He destroys all evil!" said Yoshiko. "Those who are not pure of heart!"

Ishi smiled. "Sorry, but my cards do not have the power to have hearts, good or bad."

"I'm interested to see what you mean by that." said Yoshiko. "I end my turn."

"I draw." said Ishi. "Mafic Warrior- Gabbro (1800/500) is summoned forth in attack mode! Now, attack the Destroyer, using your effect to gain three hundred extra attack points!"

"Great..." said Yoshiko.

Yoshiko: 3800

"One face-down card." said Ishi. "I end my turn."

"Alright." said Yoshiko. "Let's see...ah! I summon forth Pure of Heart- Penance (1850/500) in attack mode! Atone for your sins, kill Gabbro!"

Ishi: 3950

"Damn." said Miro. "This game is just a back-and-forth match, so far..."

"I end my turn." said Yoshiko.

"Draw." said Ishi, drawing a new card. "And I set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

"I draw!" said Yoshiko. "And then I summon Pure of Heart- Galmundo (1700/1200) in attack mode! Then he attacks your defense monster!"

Ishi smiled. "Mafic Warrior- Basalt (900/2100) defends against your attack."

Yoshiko: 3400

"Nice move..." said Miro. "Now none of her monsters can get to Ishi..."

"I end my turn with a face-down card." said Yoshiko.

"Alright!" said Ishi. "I summon Felsic Warrior- Pumice (600/1200) in defense mode! Now I use his special effect! Once per turn, he deals six hundred points of direct damage to you!"

Yoshiko: 2800

"Alright." said Ishi. "After that, I end my turn."

"My turn, then?" said Yoshiko. "Let's see. I start by summoning Pure of Heart- Love (1500/600) in attack mode! And now all 'Pure of Heart' cards gain an extra three hundred attack points!"

"But that means..." said Miro.

"Pure of Heart- Penance (2150) is now strong enough to kill Basalt!" exclaimed Yoshiko. "But first, Love (1800) attacks Pumice!"

Pumice was destroyed as Love blew hearts at it.

"Damn." said Ishi.

"Now Penance attacks Basalt!" said Yoshiko. "It's the beginning of the end, Ishi!"

"I chain my trap card!" said Ishi. "Magic Cylinder! Now you'll take a bit of damage instead!"

"Damn you..." said Yoshiko. "That was a lot of damage!"

Yoshiko: 650

"Awesome!" said Miro. "Ishi was able to save himself!"

"Not for long." said Yoshiko. "Next turn I'll crush you."

Ishi smiled. "We'll see."

"I end my turn." said Yoshiko.

"And I begin the final turn!" said Ishi. "I play the spell card, Trust in One's Friend! A very special card...it allows me to discard one monster card from my hand in order to special summon a level four monster from my hand!"

He discarded a card, and chose a new monster. "My monster is Felsic Warrior- Granite (1700/800)."

"Heh." said Yoshiko. "What good will that do you?"

"Plenty." said Ishi. "I now sacrifice both Basalt and Granite."

"Oh, damn." said Yoshiko. "It was...for a sacrifice..."

"That's right." said Ishi. "Now meet Ultramafic Lord- Kimberlite (2500/2600)!"

"Nice card..." said Miro.

"And now, go!" said Ishi. "Attack Pure of Heart- Love!"

Yoshiko looked crestfallen. "So I lost..."

Yoshiko: 0

"Yeah." said Ishi. "It was a very good game, though."

_He's saying that, even though she only got him down by fifty Life Points._ Thought Miro. _Ishi Shihai is a good person...and yet also very strong!_

"Heh." said Yoshiko. "I guess it was. Thanks for playing me, Ishi. I'll see you around school."

She turned around, and was about to walk away, when she stopped. "Oh, and also...

"You definitely have a good heart." she said, without turning around.

"Huh...?" said Ishi.

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Next Time:

_The Detective and the Secret_

_Ishi Shihai and Iwashi Obi are keeping a secret from their roommate, Miro Miyake. But what is it, and what does is have to do with a girl named 'Yoriko'?_

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Author's Note: Yay! I'm actually making an interesting storyline that develops quickly (I think):)

Soon, my friends. Soon you will find out who "Yoriko" is, and what Ishi and Iwashi have to do with her. :P

Well, only soon if I update quickly!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	4. The Detective and the Secret

Chapter Four:

The Detective and the Secret

As Ishi and Iwashi were sleeping in their bunks, Miro was thinking with his hands behind his neck.

_What's the story behind these two?_ Thought Miro. _Their surprise at the size of this dorm was more than it should have been._

He frowned. _Of course it's none of my business, but Ishi's surprise at when Yoshiko said that he had a good heart...and what he said afterwards..._

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"_No!" whispered Ishi. "That...can't be right."_

_From what Miro could tell, Ishi said it so no one else could hear, and yet he had yet to learn how good Miro's hearing was._

What are you hiding, Ishi Shihai?_ Thought Miro._

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_I'll find out..._ thought Miro. _My friends _did_ call me the greatest detective they knew...and not out of kindness, either!_

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The next day...

"I'm gonna go outside for a bit." said Miro. He stretched his arms, and opened one eye. "Don't miss me too much, okay?"

"Heh." said Ishi, smiling again. "Don't have to worry about that, Miro."

"Nice to know I'm loved." said Miro, walking outside. And then he sat and listened at the door.

"So, you've cheered up a bit, eh, Ishi?" said Iwashi.

"What do you mean?" asked Ishi.

_Wow, something good already!_ Thought Miro.

"Well..." said Iwashi. "You always seemed so...gloomy, a bit...ever since Yoriko and the others..."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Ishi, fiercely. "Stop talking about them!"

"You can't stay in the past, Ishi." said Iwashi calmly. "You have to move on."

"Forget what we did to them?" yelled Ishi. "It's our fault that they're..."

"Miro?" said a voice.

Miro jumped, hearing a voice call him. It was Yoshiko.

"Ah, Yoshiko!" said Miro. "It's nice to see you!"

"And you too." said Yoshiko. "Why are you sitting on the ground by your door?"

"Ah!" said Miro. "I dropped a pen. It just fell out of my pocket."

He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I should learn to be more careful!"

Yoshiko smiled. "Ha ha, yeah."

"So, what's up?" asked Miro.

"Oh..." said Yoshiko. "I just thought that it would be nice to come and say hi to you and Ishi."

"Oh!" said Miro. "Well, I was about to take a walk...why not come with me? We could then come back and hang out with Ishi and Iwashi, our other roommate!"

"Sure." said Yoshiko "Why not?"

They both walked away.

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"Just shut up about it, Iwashi!" yelled Ishi. "I don't...want to hear about them..."

"And you're saying that I should remember, when you don't even want to talk about them!"

Ishi was silent.

"Damn it, Ishi!" yelled Iwashi. "Life doesn't always go the way you want it to!"

"I know that as well as you do." said Ishi coldly.

"Aw, hell!" said Iwashi. He opened the door, "I don't need to take this crap!"

He slammed the door behind him and started walking away. Dark clouds were in the sky...

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"I sense that bad things will happen..." said the voice of a female.

She sat in a chain at a table with a crystal ball on it. She wore a giant yellow robe, signifying her rank in Ra Yellow.

"Ishi Shihai..." she said. "Yoriko Shindo..."

She frowned. "What are these two names? Who are they?"

A sigh. "Well, I will find out. Ishi Shihai seems to have some sort of connection to my future..."

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"Damn you...Ishi..." said Iwashi. "How can you be so stupid? Mourning over Yoriko...

"Won't bring her back to life..."

He passed a girl who's face was covered in a yellow robe.

"Yoriko...Shindo...?" said the girl.

Iwashi stopped, and turned around.

"Who the hell...are you?" he said. "And how do you know Yoriko?"

"Ah." said the girl. "My name is Serra. It's nice to meet you...do you know Ishi Shihai as well?"

"And what's it to you?" asked Iwashi.

The rain started to fall. Serra smiled.

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Next Time:

_The Prediction and the Duel_

_Serra...a Ra Yellow who claims to be a psychic. She knows about Yoriko Shindo, and Ishi Shihai...Iwashi Obi doesn't like it. _

_It's now Serra versus Iwashi Obi in a duel that will decide who learns the secrets of the other. _

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Author's Note: A chapter that really only introduced Serra and revealed the mysterious Yoriko's surname.

Please continue to read (if you are) and please R&R!

-Salazare


	5. The Prediction and the Duel

Chapter Five:

The Prediction and the Duel

"What the hell are you smiling for?" asked Iwashi. It was raining now.

"Nothing." said Serra. Her smile faded. "What is your name, friend of Ishi Shihai?"

"My name is Iwashi Obi." said Iwashi. "Remember that name."

Iwashi began to walk away, but Serra stopped him.

"Hmph." said Serra. "Walking away from me?"

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "I no longer care how you know Yoriko...you piss me off."

"Heh." said Yoriko. "Perhaps you care if I know...the truth?"

Iwashi turned, glaring at Serra. The latter smiled again. She had hit a nerve.

"So, Iwashi." she said. "Perhaps...you'd like to duel?"

Iwashi scowled at her. "Why should I?"

"Well, this is a dueling school..." said Serra. "I just want to challenge you...the winning gets to know everything about the loser involving our previous conversation."

"Huh." said Iwashi. "Fine, I accept."

"Good." said Serra. "Now, let's begin."

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"Iwashi..." mumbled Ishi.

He frowned. It had been about fifteen minutes since Iwashi left, and the rain was getting heavy. Miro was still gone as well.

_Yoriko..._ he thought.

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Miro and Yoshiko sat inside of the school. It was raining too hard for them to make it back to Miro's dorm.

"Damn." said Miro. "This is what I get for leaving on a walk..."

"And me for coming with you..." said Yoshiko.

They both sighed in unison. Miro said, "What a random shower of rain, though."

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Iwashi: 4000

Serra: 4000

"Ah, what a beautiful day for a duel." said Serra. "And with the trees protecting us, the rain is scenery..."

"And you have a twisted sense of beautiful." said Iwashi, drawing six cards. "I start off with Rurouni- Kenshin (1900/1900) in attack mode. End turn."

"Now I shall draw." said Serra. "I summon Three-Eyed Magician (1500/1500) in attack mode. And now I shall use its effect. I call the top card of my deck. If I call the type of card correctly, my monster gains five hundred attack points until my next draw phase."

"And if you call it wrong?" asked Iwashi.

"Then I discard the card." said Serra. "Now, I guess that it is a spell card."

She revealed the card to be Pot of Greed, and then placed it back on the top of her deck. "And now my Witch (2000) will destroy Kenshin."

"Damn." said Iwashi (ILP: 3900).

"I end my turn." said Serra.

"A face-down card." said Iwashi, drawing. "And then I end my turn."

"That's all?" asked Serra. "Fine. I play the card I just drew, Pot of Greed. Next I summon forth a monster, Werecat (1300/400). My Three-Eyed Witch's effect is now activated. I call monster."

She revealed it to be a monster, and the Witch gained attack (2000).

"Next off, my Werecat uses its effect to destroy your face-down card."

"Damn..." said Iwashi. "Magic Cylinder..."

"Alright." said Serra. "Both of my monsters will now attack you directly."

"Argh..." said Iwashi.

Iwashi: 600

"I end my turn with a face-down card." said Serra.

"I draw..." said Iwashi. "I play Pot of Greed, and now draw my cards...then I set three cards face-down, and end my turn..."

"Alright." said Serra. "So you've learned already. You're good. But not good enough. I activate my trap card, Ominous Fortune-Telling. Now I draw..."

She drew, and pointed to Iwashi's hand. "Sorry, Iwashi. But it looks like I win."

"What?" asked Iwashi. "How...?"

"My card's effect..." said Serra. "Now I choose one of the cards in your hand and name its type. If I get it right, you lose seven hundred Life Points. If not, nothing happens."

"Then choose." said Iwashi.

"I choose the card on your far left." said Serra. "And it is a spell card...Amakekeru Ryu no Hirameki..."

"..." Iwashi glared at her. He revealed the card...she was right.

"I lost..." he said.

Iwashi: 0

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A few minutes later, the two were sitting in silence. Iwashi had said nothing since those two words.

"What do you want to know?" asked Iwashi.

Serra's face was blank. She, though, said, "I've decided that I need to know nothing. I...had a feeling during the duel. One that told me that soon...very soon...many will know the truth. And the truth will come from a surprising person's mouth. Also...a memory from the past will come to help someone atone..."

"Is that the future for sure?"

"It's a prediction." said Serra. "I guess you could say...that it is best to be prepared."

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Next Time:

_Aftermath of Rain_

_Serra has defeated Iwashi, and given him a prediction that all will come clear soon. Meanwhile, Miro and Yoshiko return to the room as the rain clears up. Ishi's silence bothers them..._

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Author's Note: And the drama increases! I wonder, though, if anyone is actually reading this. I ask because I see no reviews.

Anyways, please read and review! And that includes the latter!"

-Salazare


	6. Aftermath of Rain

Chapter Six:

Aftermath of Rain

"The rain has slowed." said Miro.

He got up. "I'm going back to my dorm. If you want to come, you can."

Yoshiko got up as well, brushing herself off. "There's no 'if'. I'm definitely coming."

Miro smiled. "Alright. Let's get going, then."

Outside, the rain was slowing to a stop.

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"The rain is gone." observed Serra. "Perhaps we should each go back to our own dorms?"

Iwashi ignored what she had said, firing at her a question. "Are you really a psychic?"

Serra paused, then smiled. "I knew several names, was able to tell many things in the duel, and you have doubts?"

Iwashi laughed, a dry laugh. "You can never know when someone's cheating."

"True." said Serra. "Perhaps we can have another duel one day. Until then, return to your dorm."

Iwashi stood up. "You're not gonna be giving me orders. You...are coming with me."

Serra was bewildered for a minute, but then smiled. "Heh. Fine, I'll come."

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"Hey, Yoshiko." said Miro. "Have you ever heard the name 'Yoriko', recently?"

"Hm." said Yoshiko. "I don't think so, why?"

Miro paused, and then said, "Nothing. I just can't decide where I've heard the name before."

"I see." said Yoshiko.

_Then why ask 'recently'?_

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_This is the aftermath of the rain..._ thought Ishi, looking at the bracelet on his wrist. _That day was rainy too..._

He lifted his wrist up. _Yoriko..._

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Iwashi and Serra noticed Yoshiko and Miro walked as they were.

"Miro!" called Iwashi. "And...um..."

"Yoshiko Takana." said Yoshiko. "It's nice to meet you...um...and...uh..."

"I'm Iwashi Obi and this is Serra." said Iwashi.

"Nice to meet you." said Serra.

"Well..." said Miro. "Let's go inside."

As they opened the door, Ishi stared at them.

"Hi, everyone." he said. He quickly drew back his wrist.

"Hello, Ishi Shihai." said Serra. "My name is Serra."

"Nice to meet you." said Ishi. "Are you a friend of Iwashi?"

"You could say that..." said Serra.

"No, she's not." said Iwashi. "She's psychic. She was randomly spouting out two names that were familiar to me."

His voice was hard. "Those names were Ishi Shihai and Yoriko Shindo!"

Ishi glared at Iwashi, shocked. Then he glanced at Serra.

_Yoriko again..._ thought Miro. "Ishi...who is Yoriko?"

"I want to know also." said Yoshiko.

"It's none of your guys' business!" yelled Ishi. "So go the hell away!"

"Ishi!" exclaimed Yoshiko. "Why are you hiding from us?"

"Yeah, Ishi!" said Miro. "We're your _friends_!"

"...no comment." said Serra. "But I _do_ want to know. And perhaps help."

"Ishi..." said Iwashi. "You can't hide any longer. I never wanted to, but I drew back for you. Now please tell everyone, and get it off your chest. Or I'll tell them all, and they'd know anyways."

Ishi frowned. "You don't understand...it was different for you..."

"They were my friends too!" yelled Iwashi. "I feel just as bad, but I'm not hiding!"

"YOU DIDN'T LOVE YORIKO LIKE I DID!" there were tears in Ishi's eyes now.

Iwashi slowly walked up, and then punched Ishi.

"Yes...I did." he muttered. He also had tears in his eyes.

All was in silence, and Ishi held his cheek. He looked down solemnly.

"...alright. Everyone take a seat. This might take a while."

Everyone sat down. They listened in carefully.

And so Ishi Shihai began to speak.

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Next Time:

_Memories 1: Orphans_

_Ishi Shihai finally comes out and speaks of the past to Miro, Yoshiko, and Serra. A tale of love...not forbidden, not forgotten. _

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Author's Note: And so Ishi speaks.

Is anyone even reading this? You're making me sad with no reviews (frown).

This'll be my main story after I finish Legendary Shadows, you know...

Well, until I finish it (not as long as Legendary Shadows). After that, it's Legendary Shadows: Kazuha Ogata that's my main story. Well, that and the movie. Maybe there'll be a second movie! And also, the character backgrounds.

Please R&R (both of them)!

-Salazare


	7. Memories 1: Orphans

Chapter Seven:

Memories 1: Orphans

"_It's none of your guys' business!" yelled Ishi. "So go the hell away!"_

"_Ishi!" exclaimed Yoshiko. "Why are you hiding from us?"_

"_Yeah, Ishi!" said Miro. "We're your friends!"_

"_...no comment." said Serra. "But I do want to know. And perhaps help."_

"_Ishi..." said Iwashi. "You can't hide any longer. I never wanted to, but I drew back for you. Now please tell everyone, and get it off your chest. Or I'll tell them all, and they'd know anyways."_

_Ishi frowned. "You don't understand...it was different for you..."_

"_They were my friends too!" yelled Iwashi. "I feel just as bad, but I'm not hiding!"_

"_YOU DIDN'T LOVE YORIKO LIKE I DID!" there were tears in Ishi's eyes now._

_Iwashi slowly walked up, and then punched Ishi._

"_Yes...I did." he muttered. He also had tears in his eyes._

_All was in silence, and Ishi held his cheek. He looked down solemnly._

"_...alright. Everyone take a seat. This might take a while."_

_Everyone sat down. They listened in carefully._

_And so Ishi Shihai began to speak._

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"I don't want him!"

"Well neither do I!"

"Bitch!"

"Shithead!"

Ishi, age eight, had to hear this banter every day. They were his parents, arguing. All the time. He hated it.

"Then what the hell should we do with him?" yelled Ishi's father.

"I don't care!" His mother, now. "And frankly, I don't give a damn!"

Ishi sighed. He doodled on a piece of paper in front of him.

_This is sad..._ he thought. _I'm sad..._

His parents burst into the room.

"Brat!" yelled his mom. "Get the hell out of here! We never want to see you again!"

Ishi stared up at them both, pretending he couldn't understand her.

"Don't play dumb!" yelled his mom, kicking him over. "We know you're smart!"

Ishi rubbed his cheek. "..."

"Gah, just kick him out." said Ishi's father. "No one'll question it. Then we can continue discussing."

"More like yelling..." muttered Ishi. It was a bad move.

"Oh, just shut the hell up!" yelled his mother, literally kicking him out the door.

It was rainy season, so he slid as he fell out. With the rain beating down on him, he became numb.

"This sucks." he muttered. He stood up and started walking. "Where am I gonna go...?"

He looked left and right. He was in the boondocks, where no one else would take him in.

"Darn it..." he said. But he didn't cry. "Darn it..."

He continued to walk, making sure that he didn't get attacked by animals. He tripped and fell several times.

_Where am I gonna go?_ He thought. _What am I gonna do?_

He fell again. _Why even bother getting up? Why even bother...?_

He continued to stay in that position, no longer able to feel his limbs. The wounds from the earlier abuse no longer stinging, he was completely cut off from the world.

_I'll just sit here and die._

_No one will care._

_I can sit here forever._

_What do I have to live for?_

_I have no friends._

_No family._

_No possessions. _

_No one._

_No one at all._

_If I died...I would just die. No one would care, no one would cry._

"Hey." said a voice. "You. Kid."

He turned his head to look up. It was a girl, about his age.

"Kid...what are you doing, lying here? You'll get pneumonia and die."

"I want to die..." Ishi muttered. "I just want to die..."

The girl frowned. "You want to die, huh?"

"Yes..."

The kick that came next was unexpected.

"Ow!" said Ishi. "Darn it, that hurt!"

"It better have!" said the girl. "Now, kid, what's your name? Where do you live?"

"Ishi...Shihai..." said Ishi. "I live nowhere. Who are you?"

The girl smiled now. "Yoriko Shindo! And I'm...

"An orphan! Just like you!"

Ishi stared. A faint smile touched his lips.

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Next Time:

_Memories 2: Yoriko Shindo_

_Ishi Shihai, at age eight, was thrown out by his parents. Lying in the rain, he found hope. A friend, Yoriko Shindo. With her, he makes other friends as well. Will their happiness last?_

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Author's Note: Please R&R!


	8. Memories 2: Yoriko Shindo

Chapter Eight:

Memories 2: Yoriko Shindo

"_Hey." said a voice. "You. Kid."_

_He turned his head to look up. It was a girl, about his age._

"_Kid...what are you doing, lying here? You'll get pneumonia and die."_

"_I want to die..." Ishi muttered. "I just want to die..."_

_The girl frowned. "You want to die, huh?"_

"_Yes..."_

_The kick that came next was unexpected._

"_Ow!" said Ishi. "Darn it, that hurt!"_

"_It better have!" said the girl. "Now, kid, what's your name? Where do you live?"_

"_Ishi...Shihai..." said Ishi. "I live nowhere. Who are you?"_

_The girl smiled now. "Yoriko Shindo! And I'm..._

"_An orphan! Just like you!"_

_Ishi stared. A faint smile touched his lips._

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"So, get up." said Yoriko.

"I would..." said Ishi. "But I'm finding it very hard to move, as numb as I am. Care to help me?"

Yoriko laughed. Reaching down, she pulled him to his feet.

"Ugh, thanks." he said. "Damn, I'm cold."

His hands instantly rushed to his mouth. His parents swore all the time, so he picked up a few words. Although whenever he used them, his parents would hurt him.

"Why are you holding your mouth like that?" asked Yoriko.

"Um...sorry." said Ishi.

"Heh." said Yoriko. She seemed not to have noticed his swearing. "Well, let me take you to the place you'll be staying at from now on!"

She took his hand, in order to help him walk. They then walked along for a few minutes, until Yoriko introduced him to a dark alleyway, protected from rain.

"Amazing." muttered Ishi.

"Yo, Yoriko!" said a voice. "You brought someone new?"

Ishi looked and saw five kids, each wearing rags like Yoriko was. Two of them were girls, and three were boys. They each wore grins.

"Yeah, another who attempted suicide." said Yoriko. "Though in a different way than you, Taro!"

"Oh, shut up!" exclaimed a boy, obviously Taro, grinning. "How'd he try?"

"Lying in the rain." said Yoriko.

"Nice." said one of the girls, wearing glasses. "Haven't seen anyone try that one yet."

"Koyuki, you can't see anything without your glasses!" joked another girl. "And since you lose them so often, I guess that means you can't see anything!"

"Oh...quiet, Minami!" exclaimed Koyuki. Walking over to Minami, she tripped and fell. Her glasses clinked as they hit the ground.

"I guess Minami is right..." muttered another boy.

"Yeah..." said another boy. He walked over to Ishi. "Since most of those guys introduced themselves, in a way, I'll introduce myself and him."

As he ended that, he pointed to the boy who had said the least so far. "My name's Iwashi Obi, and the little-talking kid is Kogoro."

"...nice to meet you." said Kogoro.

"Um...it's nice to meet you, too...and all of you." said Ishi. "My name is Ishi Shihai..."

"Welcome to our little group, Ishi!" said Yoriko. She slapped him on the back. "Now let's get you to the fire. You need to warm up!"

They walked deeper into the alley, until they reached a fire. Ishi sat down as close to the fire as he could, and shivered.

He listened to the words he heard next.

"...do you think he'll be okay?" asked Minami.

"...I hope so." said Yoriko. "So many others are lost...I don't want to see more people die. I'd give up my own life to save them! And I'll be damned if they just throw away what I've helped them find!"

Ishi shut out the words after that, sighing.

_I guess I'm staying here now._ He thought.

He looked around. He saw the other six smiling and laughing. They probably had things happen to them that were like what happened to him. Maybe worse.

_There's no point in feeling sorry for myself. I've got to move on!_

He stood up proudly, with a smile. Then he fell.

_Although maybe I should get back the feeling in my legs first?_

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Next Time:

_Memories 3: Together_

_Living now with Yoriko and the rest of his new friends, Ishi learns what it's like to live like he now must. But for how long must he?_

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Author's Note: The 'Memories' saga is getting more into its plotline.

How did Ishi and Iwashi 'betray' the others? What could have happened? How did they die?

You'll find out soon!

Until then, please R&R! (And thank you Guardian Master for being the first reviewer!)

-Salazare


	9. Memories 3: Together

Chapter Nine:

Memories 3: Together

It was a few days later that Ishi was finally beginning to get used to life on the streets. And, in his opinion, it was better than his life at home. They managed to steal enough food for all of them, or beg if they had to. They were happy.

Ishi sat silently. He looked at the others, all sleeping.

_This has been...nice._ He thought.

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At the moment, Ishi had only recognized the plus side of being away from his house.

There _was_ a negative side.

It was on a rainy day, shortly after Ishi joined his new friends. A boy was walking along, coughing. Ishi and Yoriko were walking together when they saw him.

"Damn, another one." said Yoriko. By then, Ishi had realized that swearing doesn't matter on the streets.

Yoriko ran over to the boy, who had fallen over.

"Kid!" she exclaimed. "Get up!"

"I..." said the kid. Ishi had followed Yoriko, and he touched the boy.

"So cold..." Ishi muttered.

"I..." said the boy. His body went limp.

"...he's dead." mumbled Yoriko.

Ishi was shocked. He stumbled back.

"He's...dead..." he whispered. It was his first time seeing someone dead.

"...that's right." said Yoriko. She sighed and stood up. "That's what happens for those who linger too long in this rain. When you're alone for too long..."

"..." Ishi was silent. "...how horrible..."

"That's what was going to happen to you." said Yoriko. "What would've, if I hadn't found you when I did. Ishi...

"Please stay alive, for as long as you can."

Ishi blushed, then smiled.

"You can count on it! I promise, Yoriko!"

Yoriko smiled back. "I'm glad that you learned that right away."

They walked off together, after digging a grave for the body in the nearest dirt patch.

People die. When alone, people die faster.

The negative side of this whole thing. If Ishi wanted to live, he and his new friends would have to stay together.

Forever.

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Ishi had also made good friends with another one of the kids, Iwashi Obi.

("Finally, I come in for more than a small part!" said Iwashi. The others all gave him dirty looks, making him shut up, and Ishi continued with his story.)

"Yo Ishi!" said Iwashi. "How're you getting along so far?"

"Fine." said Ishi. "Thanks for asking."

The boy named Taro noticed them, and walked over.

"Hey, you guys." he said. "What're you two talking about?"

"I was asking if Ishi's doing well with us." said Iwashi. "And he is."

Ishi smiled.

Shrugging, Taro turned around. "Well, okay then. See you guys later."

"Well..." said Ishi. "I'll see you later. I'm gonna go for a walk."

The rain had stopped for the day. Ishi walked out, and Iwashi followed him.

"Don't forget me!" he said, and they walked out together.

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While walking, they noticed something. The streets were empty.

"I wonder what's going on...?" said Iwashi, and he and Ishi went to look.

There was a big crowd gathered, watching something. The two boys pushed themselves through the crowd and saw a sight that was strange to be staring at.

Two men were beating each other to death.

The crowd was cheering them on, which confused Ishi. Iwashi simply grabbed his hand and dragged him out of there.

"Let's go back." said Iwashi. Ishi nodded silently.

As they ran away, a man followed them, slowly.

He smiled. "I guess I found some people for my job..."

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Next Time:

_Memories 4: Offer_

_A man named Doctor Kazuki Aizen has followed Ishi Shihai and Iwashi Obi, smiling as he sees that there are seven people he can offer a job to. Can Ishi and his friends get off the street and get a life of their own? What is this job that Aizen has for them?_

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Author's Note: Thank you all for reviewing! After several months, this story gets some people that can enjoy reading it!

Although I still need to finish Legendary Shadows...it has about ten chapters left.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	10. Memories 4: Offer

Chapter Ten:

Memories 4: Offer

Miro, Yoshiko, and Serra all stared at Ishi and Iwashi. So much had been revealed already.

_This story carries so much weight..._ thought Miro.

_What happens to Yoriko?_ Thought Yoshiko.

_The end has yet to c_ome... thought Serra. _How did it end for the group?_

_Let's find out what happens next._ They all thought at once.

Ishi continued to speak.

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"..." Ishi was silently being guided by Iwashi, only allowing his legs to move.

Right before they had left, one of the men killed the other. It was bloody, and the crowd cheered it on even more...

"Ishi..." said Iwashi. Then he stopped. Ishi wasn't listening.

He sighed and continued to sprint, while making sure not to let go of Ishi's hand.

_What happened back there...?_ thought Iwashi (Iwashi's thoughts were provided by him.)

_It seemed like a death match..._

_It was a horrible thing to watch, and Ishi's new to the streets...he shouldn't have to see something like that..._

"..." Ishi continued to follow Iwashi...

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"Ishi! Iwashi!" exclaimed Yoriko. "You guys are back!"

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "Two guys were fighting in town."

"That's not new." said Yoriko.

"Yeah, well they were fighting to the death...and people were cheering them on."

Yoriko gasped. "What...what the hell...?"

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "Now poor Ishi here...well, seems to be staying quiet."

Yoriko looked at Ishi, and put her hand on his head.

"Ishi..." she said. "Be strong..."

"Yo!" said a voice. A loud one.

The seven children looked up to see a man of middle age, waving at them. He was smiling, and wearing a lab coat.

"Who are you?" asked Koyuki. Minami, usually not missing out on a chance to make fun of Koyuki's eyesight, didn't do so this time. She simply stared at the man.

"I'm a scientist!" said the man. "My name is Kazuki Aizen!"

He said it in such an upbeat tone that the seven could do naught but stare at him.

"...anyways..." said Yoriko. "What do you want?"

"How nice! A child who knows to get straight to the point!" exclaimed Aizen. "I like people like that."

He squatted down, and smiled again. "I've come to offer you seven...jobs. Instead of getting paid, you'll get a home and food. What do you say?"

"...what's the job?" asked Kogoro, speaking.

"Just a simple bit of work." said Aizen. "Helping me out in my lab...stuff like that. It's really easy, and I like to help people out. What do you say?"

"..." all seven were silent, while Aizen continued his smile.

"May we have a few minutes to discuss it amongst ourselves?" asked Minami, who got a nod in response.

As Aizen left for a few minutes (he promised to come back in five), the seven friends discussed.

"What do you guys think we should do?" asked Yoriko.

"...I like this guy!" said Koyuki. "I think we should say yes!"

"...I don't know..." said Taro. "I don't think we should..."

"We should do it!" said Iwashi. "We can all have a home together!"

"...no." said Kogoro.

"I also think we should." said Yoriko.

"I don't." said Minami. "Sorry, I just don't get a good feeling from this guy."

The six looked at Ishi, who had said a single word yet.

_Yoriko looked at Ishi, and put her hand on his head._

"_Ishi..." she said. "Be strong..." _

"..." Ishi opened his mouth.

"Yes." he said.

At that moment, Aizen walked into the alley again.

"So?" he asked. His smile was still on his face.

"...we accept your offer." said Yoriko. "When can we start?"

Aizen's smile widened. "Great! Let's see...

"Tomorrow? Is that alright?"

Yoriko nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Excellent." he handed Yoriko a card. "This is where I work. Find me there tomorrow."

"Alright." said Yoriko, and then Aizen left.

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Next Time:

_Memories 5: Secret Fear_

_Now that the seven friends have found a home under the wing of Doctor Aizen, they are happy. All except for Ishi, who has a bad feeling about the whole situation...what's in the 'secret room'?_

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Author's Note: Sweet, the story's now being updated daily (unless otherwise noted)! And I also have time to work on Legendary Shadows! I feel so accomplished!

And I'm actually getting reviews now! Thank you all for your reviews (and keep'em coming! xD)

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	11. Memories 5: Secret Fear

Chapter Eleven:

Memories 5: Secret Fear

"Akai Akago..." muttered Yoriko, reading off the name of Aizen's building.

"Eh?" asked Koyuki. "What's that mean?"

"It means 'Scarlet, baby'...or something like that." said Taro.

"Ah." said Koyuki.

"Shall we go in?" said Iwashi. Yoriko nodded.

"Alright." exclaimed Minami. "Let's go!"

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Aizen greeted them nicely, and then showed them to the kitchen. On a table there were huge mounds of food, all waiting to be eaten. The childrens' mouths watered, looking enviously at the food.

"Dig in." said Aizen, a smile on his face.

The seven rushed to the table, all eating bite after bite of food. They ate for a few minutes, nonstop, until they couldn't eat another bite.

"What a good meal..." said Iwashi. "I haven't felt full in ages!"

"Yeah..." said Kogoro. "It was good..."

Ishi smiled faintly also, but then got a chill. He looked back at Aizen.

But the scientist was merely smiling. Ishi shrugged the feeling off.

"Tomorrow." Aizen announced. "You all can start helping me around this place. Until then, rest and eat."

"Gladly!" Minami exclaimed. "Thank you, Dr. Aizen!"

"No problem." said Aizen with another smile. "I'm glad to help those I can."

With that he sat down, and started to eat a little of his own meal. His was so silent that the children forgot about him, simply discussing their happiness now.

"Ah." said Aizen, finally. "You all sound like the last children I offered this job. They were also very excited about it."

Ishi frowned. "What happened to them?"

His voice was hard, and Aizen noticed. The latter smiled. "A local orphanage asked them if they wished to be taken in by it, and they accepted the offer. Like I said before, I like to help those I can."

Ishi relaxed a little, and gave another faint smile. "And we thank you for it."

Aizen laughed. "You're welcome. Now, if you all are done...may I show you to your rooms?"

They seven got up, as did Aizen. The latter was followed by the seven friends into a hallway with three rooms in it.

"Here." he said, pointing to the left room. "This room is for the boys."

The boys nodded, and he pointed to the middle room. "And that room is for the girls."

"Thank you!" said Koyuki, with a smile.

"Um...Dr. Aizen..." said Taro. "What about the room on the right?"

Aizen smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. That's my secret room. I'll have to ask all of you to stay away from it."

"Of course!" said Yoriko. "It's the least we can do!"

Iwashi smiled, a very sly smile. He looked at Ishi.

But Ishi didn't notice. He shivered. He had a very bad feeling about the 'secret room'.

A very...secret fear...

"Anyways..." said Aizen. "You'll see that I've prepared beds for you all. Please rest, now. I'll call you all for dinner."

The seven nodded, and split off into their rooms.

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"I wanna know what's in that room!" exclaimed Minami. "It's probably something exciting!"

"Look." said Yoriko. "Like I said before, it's the least we can do is listen to his rules. Got it?"

"She's right, Minami." said Koyuki.

"...fine..." said Minami.

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Meanwhile, in the boys' room...

"We have to see what's inside!" exclaimed Iwashi. "Come on! Let's go! Let's go!"

"Stop behaving like a child, Iwashi!" said Taro. "Yoriko was right, the least we can do is obey his rules, since he took us in."

"He's right, Iwashi..." said Kogoro.

Ishi nodded as well. "Iwashi, we have to behave. Besides...I have the feeling that we don't _want_ to know what's behind that door."

"Why do you say that, Ishi?" asked Taro.

Ishi admitted that he didn't know.

_It's a secret fear._ He thought. _A very...secret...fear..._

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Next Time:

_Memories 6: On the Inside_

_Working for Aizen, the children are happy. But of the secret room, they are all curious, no matter what they say. Only Ishi gets a bad feeling from the secret room, but even he doesn't try to stop some of his friends from looking inside..._

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Author's Note: We've reached ten thousand words! They're now settled in, and I completed Legendary Shadows last night. Kind of sad, really. Check it out if you have the chance! (I still have a goal to reach four hundred reviews! It has a lot of dueling in it...and an ending which I thought was interesting. Plus, it's 153 chapters long).

By the way, since I've finished Legendary Shadows, I might do more than one chapter a day for this story. Either that, or I'll work on Legendary Shadows: Kazuha Ogata some more.

I'm also thinking of making a Legendary Shadows sequel. But that'll come in a long time. If ever.

Well, please R&R! The end of the 'Memories' saga will come to a close soon! What's in the secret room?

-Salazare


	12. Memories 6: On the Inside

Chapter Twelve:

Memories 6: On the Inside

The days passed quickly, with the seven friends working with joy.

All was nice, for them. They had food. They had water. They had beds.

They had each other.

Aizen himself had a very joyful personality, and often laughed with them. But Minami and Iwashi both had the constant longing to see what was on the inside of the secret room.

Together, though, Taro and Yoriko persuaded them not to enter it. They obeyed, but Kogoro and Koyuki both, each time, wished to see the inside of the room even more than the last.

Ishi himself had a secret fear of the secret room. He got chills whenever he looked at it, or when someone spoke of it. It scared him.

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"C'mon!" said Iwashi. "Let's go!"

Kogoro no longer objected to what Iwashi said, and Ishi stayed silent as well. A chill ran down the latter's spine.

"No." said Taro. "We can't. Stop trying."

Iwashi frowned. "But I'm dying of curiosity! Just one peak!"

"No!" said Taro. "You cannot!"

"Hmph." said Iwashi. "One day, I will see inside that room!"

_Iwashi..._ thought Ishi. _I still have that bad feeling..._

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"Please?" asked Minami. "Please, Yoriko?"

"No." said Yoriko, with a sigh. "Don't you ever give up?"

"Well, Yoriko..." said Koyuki, who finally joined Minami's side. "I really don't see what's wrong with taking a little peak to see what's on the inside of the room..."

"Look." said Yoriko. "Dr. Aizen asked us not to. That's what's wrong. He brought us in, gave us food and shelter. We owe him...don't you guys get that?"

"Yoriko..." said Minami.

"Look, I said no." said Yoriko.

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Each night, they continued like this. The only ones who objected to it now were Yoriko and Taro. Minami, Koyuki, Kogoro, and Iwashi all wished to go. Ishi still stayed silent. He prayed to himself that they never entered the room...

He felt that something bad would happen if they did...

_Please don't let us enter it..._ he thought. _Please..._

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It wasn't until a mere one month after they were taken under Aizen's wing that it happened.

The door was opened.

It was a sunny day, for once. But it wasn't during the day that it was opened. Until then, though...

"Ah." said Ishi, sweeping the ground. "What a beautiful day."

He looked up at the sunlight, smiling. "How I love the sun..."

"Hey, Ishi!" said a voice.

Ishi looked to see Iwashi walking towards im, broom in hand.

"Come to help me?"

"Heh." said Iwashi. "I guess the broom was a dead giveaway?"

"You bet." said Ishi. "I'd be damned if it wasn't."

"Well..." said Iwashi. "What if I was delivering another broom to you so you can do twice the sweeping?"

Ishi laughed. "Ha. Funny, Iwashi."

Together they finished sweeping. Then, a short time later, they went in for lunch. After lunch, they and the other five cleaned up Aizen's lab for a few hours. Then they rested in their rooms. After that, they ate dinner.

It was dark outside, as they finished dinner. They all smiled, even Kogoro. They were all happy...

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"Tonight's the night!" said Iwashi.

Taro wasn't able to hear it, only Ishi and Kogoro were. Ishi frowned. "You mean...?"

"Yeah. I arranged it with Minami and Koyuki. All five of us are going to see what's on the inside of the secret room tonight!"

"Huh." said Ishi. "Are you...sure you want to?"

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "I want to."

Ishi sighed. "Well...I guess I have no choice."

_I have to see it. I have to prove to myself that there's nothing to be afraid of._

"Let's go." said Iwashi. "At midnight."

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Midnight.

Iwashi nudged Ishi, making him open his eyes.

"Let's go." he said. Kogoro was behind him. "It's midnight."

Ishi was no longer tired. He nodded.

"Alright."

As they tip-toed outside, they saw Minami and Koyuki waiting for them.

"Let's go." said Minami.

They faced the door. Iwashi turned the knob slowly...

"Guys!" said a harsh whisper. It was Yoriko.

They looked behind them to see both Yoriko and Taro. Iwashi didn't, though...he opened the door...

_No..._ thought Ishi.

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Next Time:

_Memories 7: Scream_

_The door is open, and the friends see what is inside. But what they see is...unexpected..._

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Author's Note: The second chapter today! Please R&R!

-Salazare


	13. Memories 7: Scream

Chapter Thirteen:

Memories 7: Scream

"No!" whispered Taro.

It was too late. The door was opened.

The seven saw what was inside, and had their eyes open wide.

It was a hell on earth. There were chopped of pieces of children everywhere.

Koyuki fell down on her rear. She opened her mouth.

"No!" whispered Ishi.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her scream was so loud that, as the saying goes, she could have awoken the dead.

"Damn it!" swore Iwashi. "Are these...?"

"The last children who worked here!" exclaimed Ishi. "That's...what he was going to do to us, too, I'm sure!"

"That bastard!" said Iwashi. But then he realized something.

"Footsteps!" said he. They tried to make a break for it.

But they were too late.

Aizen stood there, behind them, wielding a huge knife.

"Ah." he said, a smile on his face. "So you opened the door. I told you not to, you know."

"You bastard..." said Yoriko. "What...what did you do to them?"

She pointed to the children inside. They seemed to be dead, but they were still breathing...and yet some of them were deformed.

"Ah." said Aizen. "They're my 'experiments'. I'm trying to make super-human servants. And what better puppets than those who have no one? Or those who offer themselves...a short time ago, if you remember, two of my older experiments got loose...and fought to the death at my command, in order to hide my secrets."

"So that..." said Iwashi, appalled. "Was...you...?"

"Yes." said Aizen. "And, as I've just learned, I can actually use the dead for my experiments. So I guess it doesn't matter...if I kill you all!"

He rushed forward, bringing the knife down on Koyuki, who didn't move.

"KOYUKI!" exclaimed Minami, who had been able to move away, along with the other five.

"Ugh..." said Koyuki, right before her head was split.

"No..." whispered Taro. There was blood everywhere. "Koyuki..."

"You monster!" yelled Yoriko. "How the hell could you do something like that?"

"Heh." said Aizen. "That should be obvious! I'm insane, don't you think? I enjoy my research, but even more...I long to see, smell, and feel blood! So much so, that I was luckily able to realize that I could create an army of super-human servants to kill everyone else in the world! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Damn...you!" yelled Taro, he rushed at Aizen.

Aizen, smiling, brought his knife down in defense, immediately switching to offense by knifing Taro in the heart.

"Da...mn..." said Taro, blood squirting out when Aizen took out the knife.

Ishi was shaking. He looked left, right, everywhere for a weapon. He could find nothing. Then he had an idea.

"Run into the room!" exclaimed Ishi. Iwashi, Minami, and Yoriko each ran into it, along with Ishi.

Kogoro didn't, though. He stared at Aizen, and Taro.

"...bastard." he said, running up. But Aizen was too fast, slicing him in the neck.

"Kogoro..." whispered Yoriko, but then Iwashi closed and locked the door behind them.

"There was a lock on it..." said Ishi. "He _wanted_ us to find it...oh my god..."

They all went to the back of the horrid lab, trying not to look at the experiments.

Ishi noticed something on the ground. A case of lighter fluid and some matches. He pocketed the matches, and picked up the lighter fluid. It would do for now.

"What do we do?" whispered Minami.

"Koyuki, Taro, and Kogoro...all dead..." said Iwashi. "Damn it..."

"Damn it is right." said Yoriko. "We...we all might die."

They looked around. The door, they noticed, was covered in some sort of sound-proof material. There was a window, but there were bricks on the other side of it. No chance of getting out through there.

Aizen was pounding on the door, it seemed. It was some sort of dull, thudding sound to them.

"Wait a minute." said Ishi. He noticed that the sound had stopped. "Wouldn't Aizen...since he owns this place...have a..."

The door opened.

"...key...?"

"Hello, my friends." said Aizen, walking in. Did you miss me?"

He lifted his knife, and grinned. "It's time for you to meet your end at the tip of my knife...

"TIME TO DIE!"

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Next Time:

_Memories 8: Flames and Tears_

_Aizen has killed Koyuki, Taro, and Kogoro. Now only Ishi, Iwashi, Yoriko, and Minami remain. The madman has them cornered, and Ishi has a plan that could possibly save them...or doom them..._

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Author's Note: The next 'Memories' chapter is the last, I think. I think it's been about a week since I started them?

This is the third chapter in one day...please R&R!

-Salazare


	14. Memories 8: Flames and Tears

Chapter Fourteen:

Memories 8: Flames and Tears

_We're going to die!_ Thought Ishi, closing his eyes. _We're going to die!_

Aizen was grinning, holding his knife in front of him. He started slowly towards them, going past the tables in his way.

"Soon...you all will be dead." he said, insanity in his eyes. "Soon..."

"Damn it..." said Yoriko. "We refuse to die yet! Come and get us, you bastard!"

"As you wish!" yelled Aizen. He sped up, he was going to get to them soon.

The four friends quickly made a break for it. He was blocking their way.

"Damn you!" yelled Iwashi. He rushed up and tried to hit Aizen, but Minami did swept one of her feet under his feet, making him fall. She did this because Aizen's knife was coming down, and had almost hit Iwashi.

"Hmph." said Aizen, quickly changing the direction of the knife to hit Minami.

"Damn..." said Minami. Her body went limp, and Iwashi got out of the way. Ishi and Yoriko followed him.

"You won't get away!" exclaimed Aizen. It was then that Ishi remembered the container in his hand.

"I've got it!" he said aloud. He, Yoriko, and Iwashi continued to run...and Ishi dumped the lighter fluid as they ran...

Aizen slipped a bit, but Ishi, Iwashi, and Yoriko had reached the doorway.

"Let's go!" said Ishi, he lit a match and tossed it...

Aizen's hand came out of the room, grabbing Yoriko's leg...

"NO!" exclaimed Ishi, as Yoriko was dragged in. Ishi moved to try and get to her.

"_So many others are lost...I don't want to see more people die. I'd give up my own life to save them! And I'll be damned if they just throw away what I've helped them find!"_

Ishi stopped, and the room burst into flames...

"YORIKO!" he yelled out. But he didn't enter the room. "YORIKO!"

He fell on his knees, now on the ground. "YORIKO!"

Tears were falling from his eyes, as well as Iwashi's.

"Yoriko..." whispered Iwashi.

The two boys left Akai Akago then. They realized that it didn't mean 'Scarlet, Baby'. It meant 'Scarlet Baby'. A child covered in blood.

Used for Doctor Kazuki Aizen's twisted experiments.

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It was a few days later that Ishi and Iwashi found themselves back at their old hideout. The one that they shared with Yoriko, Koyuki, Minami, Taro, and Kogoro.

"..." they didn't say anything to each other. They both collapsed in that area. They hadn't had any food or water since the fire at Akai Akago. They just collapsed...waiting for death...

It was then that a lady walked through that alley, aged around fifty years old or so.

"My!" she exclaimed. "You two look horrible! Burns all over! Let me take you back to my orphanage!"

The two boys were unconscious, so they said nothing. The woman picked them up.

"Ah, I guess I'll talk to you both when you wake up. Let's go, now..."

She walked with the two eight-year-old boys in her arms...she walked to what they would soon call home.

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The woman's name was Yone. She helped at the Yotsui Orphanage. Said orphanage nursed Iwashi and Ishi back to health, although they didn't say anything for days...

When they finally said something, it was "thank you". Yone smiled, and replied with a "you're welcome". She then mentioned to Ishi that she had found something in his pocket as she washed the clothes he was wearing.

It was a chain of connected stones. Ishi had remembered that he saw Yoriko doing something in secret one day at Akai Akago. It must have been making those chains. Did she slip them in his pocket before she died?

Ishi and Iwashi stayed at the Yotsui Orphanage, growing up. They learned how to play a card game known as 'Duel Monsters'. As to follow the path that started when Yoriko made him the stone bracelet, Ishi played with a deck of rock-type monsters.

Iwashi, on the other hand, decided that he wanted to be strong with power. So he worked to get a deck with warrior-type monsters. Ones that used swords. He felt, eventually that he was strong enough to beat enemies.

For years they practiced, until they were sixteen. Then they took the entrance exam as Duelist Academy.

They both passed, and got into Ra Yellow...

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Everyone was silent. All eyes were on Ishi and Iwashi.

And those two were looking down.

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Next Time:

_Return of Rain_

_The group is in silence, and the time is late. Yoshiko and Serra must leave..._

_The rain starts to fall again._

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Author's Note: And that's how Yoriko died. Now do you see why Ishi feels so guilty?

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	15. Return of Rain

Chapter Fifteen:

Return of Rain

The five were silent as Ishi Shihai finished his story.

This silence continued for about ten minutes, until Miro spoke.

"Ishi..." he said. "Iwashi..."

"I can see..." said Serra. "Now, why you're beating yourself up over her..."

"Yeah..." aid Yoshiko. "Ishi...I..."

Ishi didn't show any sign of hearing them. Iwashi sighed.

"Guys..." he said. "It's getting late. Yoshiko, Serra...you two should go to your dorms."

The two girls nodded, and Iwashi got up to walk them to the door. As they opened the door, they saw that it was raining.

"Aw, damn." said Yoshiko. "I guess the rain came back as Ishi was talking."

"Maybe it's a sign of the sadness that he is feeling." said Serra. "As well as your sadness, Iwashi."

Iwashi frowned. "Serra...enough."

The girl nodded. "Yes, I apologize. Yoshiko and I shall take our leave now."

The two left, leaving Ishi, Miro, and Iwashi together in their dorm.

"...I guess I'll turn off the lights, and we can go to bed." said Miro. Iwashi nodded, and Ishi simple slid into his bed.

The light was turned off, and Miro got into his bed as well. Iwashi had gotten into his after Ishi got into his own.

As they closed their eyes, the rain continued pounding outside. The rain that reminded all three of the story just told.

Where Yoriko found Ishi.

Where Ishi saw death for the first time.

And the darkness reminded them all of the events at Akai Akago, and of Doctor Kazuki Aizen.

When Yone found Ishi and Iwashi.

That event led up to them learning how to duel.

Then they tried for the Duelist Academy entrance exam.

After that they were accepted, and got into Ra Yellow.

They met their roommate, Miro Miyake.

Miro and Ishi went for a walk, and Ishi dueled Yoshiko Takana.

After victory, Miro noticed something strange about Ishi.

Miro then tried to spy on Ishi and Iwashi.

Yoshiko found him, and they went for a walk.

Ishi and Iwashi get into a fight, and Iwashi leaves.

Iwashi finds Serra, duels her, and loses.

All of the duelists return to the dorm of Ishi Shihai, Iwashi Obi, and Miro Miyake.

The story is told by Ishi, with help by Iwashi...

And so the circle completes its motion, and a second one can start.

The five duelists, now in bed, can start their own mission. One that can help Ishi and Iwashi atone their sins...and forgive themselves for what happened to Yoriko, Minami, Koyuki, Taro, and Kogoro.

The first part has ended, but now comes the second.

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"**Beep! Beep! Beep! Phone, Hour Three!**"

The person known as Three picked up the phone that was ringing. He listened in.

"Three." said the voice on the other line. "The words 'Akai Akago' and 'Doctor Kazuki Aizen' were all used by the same person. We believe that they mean the same Kazuki Aizen that was the old Seven. And also the Akai Akago that was set on fire eight years ago, burning Aizen and his experiments."

"...I see." said Three. "Thank you, Four. The other Hours will be alerted immediately."

"Yes." said Four.

Three hung up the phone, and dialed a number. It rang, and a voice answered, "Yes, Three?"

"One." said Three. He told One of what Four told him of.

"Ah." said One. "Wonderful. Thank you."

Three hung up the phone. "So the truth of what happened to Aizen can finally be revealed."

He smiled. "The Twelve Hours of the Night shall come out of the shadows to deal with this mystery!"

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End of Season One: "Ishi Shihai and Iwashi Obi"

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No preview in the chapter

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Author's Note: Alright, so this story is getting more exciting! Who are the Twelve Hours of the Night?

Please R&R! The next season is called "The Twelve Hours of the Night"!

-Salazare


	16. Smile Again

Chapter Sixteen:

Smile Again

Ishi Shihai woke up the next day, and shook his head to get the sleepiness away. There were still about three days before the classes started.

He sighed. The rain was still falling, even though it was around nine in the morning. He got out of his bed and changed. Looking to see the other two asleep, he walked out the door.

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Serra was sitting in the same place she was when Iwashi found her the night before, when she saw Ishi walk by.

"Ishi." she said. The boy looked at her.

"Hello, Serra." he said. He noticed the way that the trees protected her from the rain. "Very interesting."

"Thank you." said Serra. "Ishi...for how long shall you stay sad? Telling us of the events should have cleared your conscience a bit, yes?"

"...I guess." said Ishi. He sighed. "I...I just don't know what to do, now."

Serra smiled. "Ishi, you should live on...just how Yoriko wanted you to. She told you to be strong, Ishi...now do so. And smile again."

Ishi looked at her, and smiled.

"I'll do just that."

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Iwashi woke up, and saw Ishi was gone and Miro was sitting up in bed.

"Good morning, Miro." said Iwashi. "Where's Ishi?"

"I dunno." said Miro. He was reading a book. "He was gone when I left. Have you ever read 'Cat Among the Pigeons' by Agatha Christie."

Saying that he hadn't, Iwashi thought for a second.

"I guess I should go look for Ishi." he said.

"No need!" said a cheerful voice from the door.

Iwashi and Miro both looked up, surprised, to see a smiling Ishi Shihai.

"Ishi!" exclaimed Iwashi, with a smile. "You're...okay!"

"You bet!" said his friend. "How could I not be?"

Miro smiled. _Ishi...you're smiling again._

_That's great._

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"Yay! A boat ride!"

A woman, aged around twenty or so, was basically bouncing around the boat she and a man were on. She smiled at the rain falling on her face. The man was around age sixty or so, being really old and under cover. He sighed.

"Eleven." he said. "Please stop behaving like a child. We shall be at the island in two days."

"Aw, but Ten..." said Eleven, pouting. "I'm having so much fun on this boat ride!"

"Really." said another voice. It was somewhat like a teenager's. Ten and Eleven looked to see a boy of about seventeen, scratching the back of his head. He walked until he stood next to Ten.

"Geez, I'm stuck with a hyper-active twenty-year-old and an old bore." said the boy. "It sucks being ranked so low, having to follow your guys' orders."

"Listen, Twelve." said Ten. "You, if needed, are going to be the first to duel. Remember that."

"Yeah, yeah." said Twelve. He was wearing chains on his wrists, and around his neck. He had a set of ear pierces on each ear, making a total of four. He wore black clothes, and had an arrogant smile.

"Aw, why does he get to have all of the fun?" asked Eleven, hanging on the railing of the boat. If the boat wasn't so high up, she would've put her hand into the water.

"We're not here to have fun." said Ten. "We're here to find out all about the old Seven, Doctor Kazuki Aizen. That is our mission from One."

"Hm." said Twelve. "I heard that Aizen was a crazy guy. The scientist who experimented on kids to make super-humans, right?"

"Yes." said Ten. "The new Seven is far more sane. As well as the new scientist, Five."

"I see." said Twelve. He looked over at Eleven, who was still smiling and having fun. "You think we'll actually find out what we need to know from this island?"

"Yes." said Ten. "And I have a plan to get the one with the knowledge to come out. We shall meet him or her in two days. Be prepared."

"Alright." said Twelve. "I guess I better go prepare, just in case."

He went back into his room, and Ten continued to watch Eleven play.

_The Twelve Hours of the Night..._ he thought. _Always get their prey. You better remember that, Twelve._

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Next Time:

_The Twelve Hours of the Night_

_As numbers Ten through Twelve reach the island, they manage to alert Ishi, Iwashi, Miro, and Serra of their presence. They inform the friends of their group, the Twelve Hours of the Night, and of what they want. But learning that they are 'friends' of Aizen, Ishi refuses to part with his knowledge. With that, he and Twelve begin their duel..._

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Author's Note: And the plot thickens! It seems that Twelve and Ten don't get along so well...

The next chapter is when Ishi and friends learn of the Twelve Hours of the Night! What's their goal?

-Salazare


	17. The Twelve Hours of the Night

Chapter Seventeen:

The Twelve Hours of the Night

"...there it is." said Ten.

Eleven and Twelve looked at where Ten motioned. Through the rain, they could see the Academy. It was about an hour's time away.

"It's time." said Ten. "To inform the person with the knowledge about our existence."

"Finally." said Twelve. "I've been getting bored, these past two days."

"What? But it's been so fun!" exclaimed Eleven. She fluffed up her hair. "I think I'll go dye my hair pink for the meeting!"

Going off to her room, Eleven left Twelve and Ten alone.

Twelve stared at Ten, who seemed to be getting angry. The former looked up at the latter's head. It was bald.

_I guess he's a little touchy._ Thought Twelve. "Well, old man...I guess I'll be going back to my room. I...uh...should...uh...work on my deck some more."

He left, so the bald old man was alone.

_I hate kids._ He thought, sighing. _Them and their...hair._

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"Ah, so tomorrow classes start." said Ishi. He looked outside, it was a sunny day.

"A good day for a walk!" he said, with a smile. Miro and Iwashi looked up at him.

"A walk, eh?" said Iwashi. "I'm in."

"I'll come too." said Miro. "And we can pick up Yoshiko and...um..."

"Serra." said Iwashi.

"That's right." said Miro. "Yoshiko and Serra."

Ishi smiled. "Alright, let's go!"

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About an hour later, the five were wandering around school campus. They spoke of their favourite cards, and other things involving Duel Monsters. This is excluding Serra, who simply listened.

"Look, Kimberlite is the coolest!" exclaimed Ishi. "I mean, his effects..."

"**Hello, students.**" said a voice over the loud speakers. "**A 'Doctor Kazuki Aizen' is looking for a student, although not giving the student's name. I repeat, a 'Doctor Kazuki Aizen' is looking for a student. He will meet you in the Ra Yellow dueling arena.**"

The five friends' heads snapped up.

"Aizen!" exclaimed Ishi. "The Ra Yellow dueling arena!"

The other four frowned.

"Let's go." said Iwashi. "This is too weird."

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Ishi, Iwashi, Serra, Yoshiko, and Miro, upon arrival at the Ra Yellow dueling arena, saw a bald old man, a pink-haired woman (who was jumping around), and a boy who could only be described as a 'juvenile delinquent'.

"Are you the ones who called us?" asked Ishi. "Using the name of Aizen?"

"Yes." said the old man. "My name is Ten, the girl is Eleven, and the boy is Twelve."

"What odd names." said Yoshiko.

"They are more 'titles' than 'names'." explained Ten. "We are of the group known as the 'Twelve Hours of the Night'. We are a secret group, so we wondered about the death of our previous 'Seven'...Doctor Kazuki Aizen."

"Aizen...was part of the Twelve Hours of the Night?" whispered Miro. "He was...part of your group?"

"That is correct." said Ten. "Until he died, eight years ago. Now...what are your names, children? And how do you know of Aizen?"

"My name is Ishi Shihai." said Ishi. He pointed to each of his friends as he introduced them. "That's Iwashi Obi, that's Yoshiko Takana, that's Miro Miyake, and that's Serra. And..."

He looked Ten straight in the eye. "We're not telling you what we know of Aizen, if you're friends with him. Sorry, but we won't help the friends of people who use children for experiments. That's just plain wrong!"

"...I see." said Ten. "Then I suppose we have no choice. Twelve."

Twelve stepped up onto the field. "Well, Ishi...how about this? We duel for the info. If we lose, we leave. Is that alright?"

Ishi also stepped up. "Fine, I accept that challenge."

Twelve activated his duel disk, and Ishi did the same.

"Are you ready, Ishi?" asked Twelve. Ishi responded with a nod.

"Let's duel!" exclaimed Ishi.

Ishi: 4000

Twelve: 4000

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Next Time:

_Puppet and Puppet Master_

_Twelve and Ishi begin their duel, Twelve bringing out the monster known as "Iwanbo". As Iwashi recognizes the monster as from Rurouni Kenshin, he realizes the secret that lies inside of the beast._

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Author's Note: There I go again, with using elements of Rurouni Kenshin. I guess I really like that manga!

It's nice to use cards in which others might be even slightly familiar with!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	18. Puppet and Puppet Master

Chapter Eighteen:

Puppet and Puppet Master

Ishi: 4000

Twelve: 4000

"Let's duel!" said Ishi.

"I'll go first." responded Twelve. "I summon forth a monster, the one known as Iwanbo Version One (1900/1200)!"

A big creature with a topknot hair style appeared on the field, grinning a huge grin- that of a monster.

"Eh?" said Iwashi. "Iwanbo?"

"Do you know something, Iwashi?" asked Miro.

"Yeah..." said Iwashi. "Iwanbo is a character in the Rurouni Kenshin manga...I didn't know that he had a card version, too."

"Hm." said Twelve. "So you've read that manga? Maybe I would've been better off facing you, instead of Ishi. Oh, well. I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." said Ishi. He looked at his hand. "I'll summon Mafic Warrior- Gabbro (1800/500)! Gabbro now attacks Iwanbo!"

"Hmph." said Twelve. "I know Gabbro's effect, so I won't let that attack go through. I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!"

"Damn!" swore Ishi. He looked at his hand again. "I guess all I can do is set a card face-down. End turn."

"Heh." said Twelve. "You think you can scare me? I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Crap..." said Ishi, as his Magic Cylinder card was destroyed.

"That's right!" said Twelve. "Now I sacrifice Iwanbo Version One to special summon...Iwanbo Version Two (2300/1600)!"

This Iwanbo looked the same, except he had a bomb in his hand. He grinned, just like the last one did.

"Great..." said Ishi. "An even stronger monster."

"Attack Gabbro!" exclaimed Twelve. "Bombing Blast!"

Gabbro was blown into little chunks, Ishi raising his hand in defense.

Ishi: 3500

"Nice move." said Ishi. "It was pretty good."

"Thanks." said Twelve. "But I don't need your comments, only the info you have on Aizen!"

"Sorry." said Ishi. "But I'm not gonna give it to you!"

"Hmph." said Twelve. "I end my turn with a face-down card, again."

"I'll draw, now." said Ishi. He looked at his hand again, with a frown this time.

_Let's see...what can I do?_ He thought. He finally picked a card.

"I play Pot of Greed. Now I draw two cards. Then I'll set a monster, as well as another card. I end my turn."

"Then I guess it's my turn." said Twelve. "Let's see...ah-ha! I'll sacrifice Iwanbo Version Two...

"In order to summon Iwanbo Version Three- Savage Mode (2700/2000)!"

Iwanbo grew, now getting taller, with bigger arms and legs. His grew more beastly, and his grin widened.

"Oh, great..." said Iwashi. "This version of Iwanbo has a few things Ishi should watch out for...one of them being the "Unrestricted Attack/Detach Mechanism". The other is...the "Unrestricted Joint Mechanism". The former being for defense, and the latter for offense."

"That's mostly right, Iwashi." said Twelve. "Except that Pegasus couldn't think of a way to put either into an effect for the card, so he made them into their own cards. So, Ishi, you don't have to worry about any hidden effects for my card involving those effects."

"But there is another effect, correct?" asked Ishi.

"Yes." said Twelve. "But you'll see that later. For now, my monster will attack!"

"Activate trap card!" said Ishi. "Negate Attack! You should be familiar with this card!"

"Hmph." said Twelve. "True. I can see how annoying it must have been for you, while facing my copy of the card. Alright, I'll end my turn for now."

"I draw!" said Ishi. He looked at his card. "Now I'll activate Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, and then discard two from my hand! I choose to discard Felsic Warrior- Pumice and Trust in One's Friend! Next I play Monster Reborn, reviving Felsic Warrior- Pumice (600/1200)! Activate special effect, dealing you six hundred points of damage each turn!"

Twelve: 3400

"Interesting." said Twelve. "But it won't be around for more than one turn."

Ignoring him, Ishi placed another card into his duel disk. "I now play Double Pumice Damage! I can use Pumice's effect for a second time this turn!"

Twelve: 2800

"Very good." said Twelve. "But still not. Good. Enough!"

"Yet." corrected Ishi. "I now play One Turn Summon! I can now special summon a monster form my deck, at the cost that it's removed from play at the end of the turn, and it can't attack directly!"

He swiped a monster from his deck, and placed it on his duel disk. The monster that appeared was a giant and dark rock creature. "Meet Ultramafic Lord- Kimberlite (2500/2600)! Next I summon Felsic Warrior- Obsidian (500/500) and use its effect to attach itself to my Ultramafic Lord (3000/3100)! Now, Kimberlite, destroy Iwanbo Version Three- Savage Mode!"

"Hmph." said Twelve. "So attack me!"

_Something's wrong._ Thought Iwashi. _He's displayed a knowledge of Ishi's cards, so he should know Kimberlite's effect. And yet he seems so confident...wait a minute! Could he be planning to use...?_

Twelve: 2500

"And now his effect kicks in, dealing you an amount of damage equal to your monster's defense points!" exclaimed Ishi. "Now I can attack with Pumice, and...!"

Twelve: 500

"Heh." said Twelve. "You haven't won yet...look."

Ishi noticed that there was a man dressed in black clothing, wearing a strange mask who was on Twelve's side of the field now.

"Heh heh..." said Twelve. "Meet Gein- Man in Black (1800/1000)...my last resort. Also the monster who shall be the end of you."

"The one who operates Iwanbo..." said Iwashi. "The Artist of Karakuri."

"Yes." said Twelve. "Now I dare you to attack with Pumice, Ishi!"

"Hmph." said Ishi. "I end my turn."

As he ended his turn, Kimberlite disappeared. Obsidian now appeared in defense mode (500/500).

"Yes!" yelled Twelve. "I draw and play Zankosen of Gein! Now he gains eight hundred attack points (2600)! Gein, attack!"

The masked man attacked Pumice, forcing Ishi to raise his hand in defense again.

Ishi: 1500

"So powerful..." muttered Yoshiko.

"Powerful, yes." said Ishi. "But not without flaw. Gein, I believe...has no effect, correct?"

"Besides that of being special summon at Iwanbo Version Three's death, no." said Twelve. "By the way, I end my turn."

"I see." said Iwashi. "In that case, I draw a card! And then I activate the spell card known as...Trap Invitation! Now trap cards can be activated the first turn they're set! So I set a trap card...and activate it! Rock Bombardment!"

The card was revealed, and he sent Felsic Warrior- Granite to the graveyard from his deck. "Now I send this rock-type monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to give you five hundred points of damage! Sorry, Twelve...but you've lost!"

Twelve: 0

"No!" he said. "What the...how?"

"Easy." said Ishi. "I was more determined."

"Damn." said Twelve, stepping down.

"Hmph." said Eleven. "I guess I'm up next!

She ran up to where Twelve was. "Ready, Ishi?"

"Sorry." said Ishi. "But I'm not going to be dueling again. I'm a little tired. But I'm sure someone else will want to..."

"I will." said Miro. "Eleven...I challenge you to a duel."

Eleven smiled. "Yay! I get to duel a cute little boy!"

"Little? Cute?" asked Miro. "I'll make you regret that, Eleven!"

He walked onto the stage. "Your group's villainous acts won't be approved by me, a detective!"

Miro: 4000

Eleven: 4000

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Next Time:

_Cat Queen_

_After Twelve's defeat by Ishi, Eleven steps up. And so does Miro! Annoyed at being called 'cute' and 'little'. He's prepared to take down Eleven! But her cat deck is strong! Can he actually beat her?_

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Author's Note: Go Ishi! Go Ishi! Go Ishi!

Amazing, isn't it? Chapter eighteen, and it's only Ishi's third duel.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	19. Cat Queen

Chapter Nineteen:

Cat Queen

Both duel disks were activated.

"Let's duel, little guy!" said Eleven, smiling.

Miro: 4000

Eleven: 4000

"I told you, I'm not a little guy!" exclaimed Miro.

Silence. "...are you a little girl?"

"OH, SHUT UP!" yelled Miro, drawing a card.

Yoshiko and Iwashi were barely managing to hold in their laughter. "YOU TWO ALSO!

"Grr..." Miro said. "I summon Detective- Heiji Hattori (1900/1650) in attack mode! And when he's the only monster on my side of the field, I can special summon Detective- Toyama Kazuha (1500/1350)! I set a card and end my turn!"

"A cute move from a cute little boy!" said Eleven, smiling and drawing. "But I've got an even cuter card! Go, Cat's Ear Tribe (200/100)!"

Three kittens appeared on the field, each wearing war gear. They purred, looking at Miro.

"Oh, hell." said Miro, staring at them. "Oh, damn..."

"What's wrong, Miro?" called out Ishi.

"Um...n-nothing..." said Miro. "Absolutely nothing..."

_Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!_

"You seem a little pale, little boy!" said Eleven. "Hey, little for little!"

"S-shut up!" said Miro. "I-I'm not pale or little!"

"...hee hee." laughed Eleven. "You're...afraid of cats, aren't you...?"

Miro froze. Everyone, including the Hours, stared at him.

Ishi slapped his head. "Miro...that's it, isn't it?"

Miro looked down at his feet. "Uh..."

"Ha ha!" laughed Eleven. "I guess that means you can't beat me, and we'll get the information we need on Aizen! I activate Cat Kingdom! Now all monsters with 'Cat' in their card name gain three hundred attack points (500)! Hee hee...I end my turn!"

"I draw...!" said Miro. "And I'm gonna get rid of those cats...I summon Detective- Kisaki Eri (1200/1500) in attack mode and attack that weak Cat's Ear Tribe!"

"No!" exclaimed Ishi.

"Sorry!" said Eleven. "But my monster's effect is that when it's attacked, the monster attacking it had its attack points reduced to two hundred!"

"Damn!" swore Miro. Eri attacked the cats, but then smiled, and was struck back by them (200).

Miro: 3700

"Wait a minute..." said Yoshiko. "Doesn't Eri have a pet cat named 'Goro' in the Detective Conan manga? Why would Miro summon her?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Iwashi.

"Shut up!" said Miro. "I have no problems with cat owners! I end my turn!"

"Hmph." said Eleven, drawing. "You've lost a monster, but my strategy is usually only for defense...so I can't use it for attacking."

"Heh." said Miro. "That's good."

"Although..." said Eleven, placing a card onto her duel disk. "I can still summon another monster! I play Cat's Paw Tribe (1500 + 300/250)! This monster has the effect of letting me draw a card when it's played! So I draw and activate Cat Claw! My monster gains three hundred attack points (2100)!"

"Damn..." said Iwashi. "With a monster like that and Miro's fear of cats...this doesn't look good."

"I can win!" said Miro. "Attack me, Eleven!"

"As you wish!" exclaimed Eleven. "Cat's Paw Tribe, destroy Kazuha!"

Miro: 3100

"And he still hasn't damaged her..." muttered Yoshiko.

"I end my turn!" said Eleven, smiling again.

"Maybe Eleven should've brought Kit with her!" joked Twelve. "A purr from her, and you'd be face-down!"

"Shut up!" yelled Miro, drawing. "Are you guys really evil, to be making jokes like this?"

Twelve laughed. "Yes."

"Whatever." said Miro. He looked over his hand, trying to stay calm. "I summon Detective- Edogawa Conan (1000/1000)! And when he's normal summoned I can special summon another member of the Junior Detective League! And I choose Detective- Haibara Ai (1000/1000)!"

A small boy with glasses and a blue vest on appeared, also wearing a bow tie. Next to him was a girl of the same age, with brown hair and an emotionless face.

"...schoolmates of yours?" asked Eleven.

"Quit it with the 'small' jokes!" exclaimed Miro. "I just need these two monsters to have a bigger army! And so I play a spell card...Combined Deductions! I now sacrifice all 'Detective' monsters on my side of the field in order to special summon a 'detective' who gains their combined attack points! So I sacrifice all three to bring forth...Detective- Kudo Shinichi (1700 + 3900/ 1700)! He's gonna crush you (5600)! I activate Detective Tool- Inflatable Soccer Ball Belt, giving him five hundred attack points (6100)! Is he strong enough to beat you yet? Let's see..."

Ishi sighed as Miro tried to do the math. "Miro...sixty-one hundred minus twenty-one hundred is exactly four thousand..."

"Oh, right!" said Miro. "Thanks, Ishi! Shinichi! Crush the Cat's Paw Tribe, as well as her!"

Eleven sighed. "Aw...I lost."

Eleven: 0

Walking down from the stage, Eleven didn't look back. Miro smiled.

_Take that, Cat Queen!_ He thought, going down as well.

"Hmph." said Ten. "You two...are so weak. I'll show you how it's done."

He walked up to the stage as well. "Who is brave enough to face me? Ishi? Iwashi? Miro? Yoshiko?"

"...you forgot me." said Serra, frowning.

"Who shall face me?" yelled Ten, again.

"Fool." said Serra, walking up. "I said that you forgot me. Serra. The one who's going to beat you."

She activated her duel disk. "Well?"

Ten glared, activating his own duel disk. "You? Defeat me? Hmph. Your ignorance annoys me."

_The battle of the gloomy personalities! _Thought Iwashi.

"Let's duel, then." said Serra. "And I'll show you exactly _who_ is ignorant."

Serra: 4000

Ten: 4000

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Next Time:

_Calmness of a Monk Master_

_Serra begins her duel with Ten, her psychic abilities up against Ten's Monk Deck! Both are calm and gloomy (the latter trait according to Iwashi) and yet only one can come out on top! Who will win?_

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Author's Note: For whoever's read Legendary Shadows, you should recognize Miro's deck! And Miro himself, actually. You should also recognize some of the cards that are going to be used in Ten's deck!

Oh, yeah. And the idea of the cat fear. Um...that's also from a manga.

I guess I just love manga!

(The manga is MAR)

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	20. Calmness of a Monk Master

Chapter Twenty:

Calmness of a Monk Master

Serra: 4000

Ten: 4000

"Annoying girl!" said Ten. "I shall make the first move!"

"I don't mind." said Serra. "In the end, I'm going to win."

_Serra beat me in a few turns._ Thought Iwashi. _Let's see...and Ishi can beat me...so...wait, is Ishi or Serra stronger? Ishi didn't have much trouble against Twelve...so, um...wait. I don't understand my own thoughts._

He shrugged, and watched the duel.

"I shall first summon Monk Fighter (1300/1000) in attack mode." said Ten. "And then I set a card. End turn."

"Alright..." said Serra. "Let's see. Fate tells me to play this card!"

She placed a monster onto her duel disk. It was a crystal ball. "I summon Crystal Ball (0/0) in attack mode! Activate effect number one!"

A witch appeared next to the crystal ball, a table also appearing to hold up the ball. "I can now special summon Witch Who Watches the Crystal Ball (1700/1800) from my deck in attack mode. While she and the Crystal Ball are on the field at the same time, she gains three hundred attack points (2000). Also, the Crystal Ball gains three hundred (300), and the ability to attack directly if it's not going to reduce the opponent's Life Points to zero. Now, Witch...attack the Monk Fighter!"

"I discard Monk Protecting Angel (700/700), negating your attack and allowing me to draw a card." said Ten, drawing his card.

"Fine." said Serra. "I'll attack you directly with the Crystal Ball, then."

Ten: 3700

"That attack was nothing." said Ten.

"Whatever you say." said Serra. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." said Ten. He looked at his hand. "I'll now set a card face-down, and have Monk Fighter destroy that annoying Crystal Ball."

"I activate my face-down card." said Serra. "Psychic Barrier. Now, until two of your End Phases pass, you can't attack."

"Hmph." said Ten. "Whatever. I end my turn."

"Wow." said Iwashi. "No matter what there words are, or what's happening...they're both so calm."

"You're right..." said Yoshiko.

"I draw." said Serra. "Turn one is over. Now I attack Monk Fighter!"

"Activate face-down card." said Ten. "Monk Offensive Technique- Muscle Flex! Now my Monk Fighter will gain eight hundred attack points for the turn...enough to destroy that witch (2100)."

Serra frowned (SLP: 3900). "Good move. I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Something's wrong." said Iwashi. "She was able to beat me quickly. But...this guy..."

"...is far stronger than you." said Yoshiko. "And he and Serra seem to be nearly equal in strength."

"Wait...you mean..." said Iwashi.

"That's right." said Yoshiko. "It looks like, at your level...you can't beat any of the members of the Twelve Hours of the Night!"

Iwashi frowned. "No way..."

"But..." said Yoshiko. She and Iwashi were whispering, so Ishi and Miro couldn't hear them. "The same goes for me. I couldn't get Ishi's Life Points down by any more than fifty, and yet Twelve got him down to fifteen hundred. Iwashi...both you and I are useless against this enemy."

Iwashi looked down at his feet. "No way..."

"That's right." said Yoshiko. "But that just means that we have to train harder. Increase our drawing skill, also."

Iwashi looked up, and nodded. "You're right, Yoshiko. After Serra defeats Ten...you and I will have to train together."

"My turn, then." said Ten (this is slightly rewound time-wise, since Iwashi and Yoshiko had been talking). "I now sacrifice Monk Fighter in order to special summon Master Monk (1900/1000). I end my turn."

"My turn. And you can attack and your next one." said Serra, she looked at the card she had drawn. "Alright, I'll summon my Three-Eyed Magician (1500/1500). Now I can guess the type of the top card of my deck- monster, spell, or trap. In the event that I get it right, my monster gains five hundred attack points. But if I get it wrong, then I discard the card. I call trap."

She looked at the card, and showed it to be Seven Tools of the Bandit. "Alright, my monster will gain its attack points (2000). But I don't end there. I'll play Monster Reborn, reviving my Witch Who Watches the Crystal Ball (1700 + 300/1800 and 300/0). Now I attack your Master Monk with my Three-Eyed Magician!"

"Activate trap card." said Ten. "Lone Wolf. My Monk now cannot be destroyed in battle or by monster effects."

"Fine." said Serra, the attack still hitting Master Monk (TLP: 3600). "I guess I'll just have my Witch attack him next."

The Monk was still able to stand after being hit by the magical attack of the Witch and also that of the Magician. He grinned, flexing his muscles.

Ten: 3500

"And now the Crystal Ball will attack you directly!" said Serra.

Ten: 3200

"A face-down card. I end my turn (1500/1500)." said the psychic.

"My turn." said Ten, drawing. "And I'll attack that Crystal Ball with Master Monk!"

"Activate trap card!" said Serra. "Magic Cylinder will send the attack at your Life Points!"

Ten: 1300

"Nicely done." said Ten. "But my Monk has a second attack. And he'll use it to strike down your Crystal Ball."

"Hmph." said Serra, rasing her hand to protect herself from the rubble. "Annoying."

Serra: 2300

"I end my turn." said Ten.

"How foolish." said Serra, drawing. "Not applying any other defenses."

"Why should I?" asked Ten. "You can't get to me without destroying my Monk, who is invincible."

"Not invincible. Merely powerful."

She placed another monster onto her Duel Disk. "Iwashi should recognize this card as one I used on him! Werecat (1300/400)! His effect..."

She smiled faintly, pointing at Lone Wolf. "Is to destroy a spell or trap card once during it's time on the field. And I choose Lone Wolf."

Lone Wolf blew up, leaving Master Monk alone on the field.

"You still cannot defeat Master Monk, considering you have no other monsters on the field with more than nineteen hundred attack points." Ten pointed out. "My Monk's condition hardly matters anymore."

"You call others ignorant..." said Serra, "But in truth, _you're_ the ignorant one! I use my Three-Eyed Magician's effect, calling spell!"

She showed the card to be Graceful Charity. "And it seems I'm correct (2000/2000)! Now Three-Eyed Magician destroys Master Monk!"

The Magician threw a spell at the Master Monk, forcing it to crumble into nothingness.

Ten: 1200

"Damn." said Ten. "It seems that I've lost."

"That's right." said Serra. "I now attack you directly with Werecat, ending the duel."

The giant cat attacked Ten, forcing him to fall (and, as a side note, Miro to shiver.), defeated.

Ten: 0

"So I failed as well." said Ten. "You three...are powerful."

"You THREE?" exclaimed Iwashi. "You're forgetting about Yoshiko and I!"

Ignoring him, Ten looked at Ishi, who looked back up.

"Ishi Shihai." said Ten. "You're the one who bares the knowledge, correct?"

"...yes." said Ishi.

"I see." said Ten. "Well...we shall tell that to our superiors."

He stepped down, and the other two joined him where he got off. "Beware, Ishi and friends. The other Hours will wish for the information of what happened to Aizen.

"And they will not hesitate to attack weaknesses to get the information from you, Ishi."

Iwashi and Yoshiko looked at each other, frowning.

"Ten..." said Ishi. "What is the goal of your Organization? And why do you duel?"

Ten looked at him. "We duel because we're fair. And our goal...

"Is provide a way to stop the stupid humans who control this world. We shall take command...coming from the night."

With that, the three walked away.

"_Weaknesses..."_ that word repeated in the minds of Iwashi and Yoshiko.

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Next Time:

_Period of Rest and Training_

_With Hours Ten through Twelve defeated, the five friends get a chance to think over what they've learned so far. But Iwashi and Yoshiko feel like anchors, holding back the others. Training is in order, for them._

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Author's Note: Sweet, training time is next.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	21. Period of Rest and Training

Chapter Twenty-One:

Period of Rest and Training

"Hmph." said an ominous voice. "So you three lost."

Ten, Eleven, and Twelve were looking up at a man, sitting on a throne. Ten was emotionless, Eleven was smiling, and Twelve was frowning.

"Yes, Two." said Ten. "But we managed to get valuable information. The person who holds the knowledge of Aizen is named Ishi Shihai...and you can get at him by attacking his friends, if you wish."

"What are the names of his friends?" asked Two.

"Iwashi Obi...Yoshiko Takana...Miro Miyake...and a psychic named Serra." said Ten. "Ishi, Serra, and Miro were the ones who defeated us...but I'm not sure about Iwashi and Yoshiko. They're probably weak."

"I see." said Two. "Well, they shall start to fight the single digits now. Soon...soon we shall be able to rid the world of those fools in charge of it...but first...

"We need to knowledge of what happened to Kazuki Aizen...so Five can actually work on the 'Zero Hour' project."

_Zero Hour project?_ Thought Twelve.

"I see." said Ten. "Well, if it helps...all of the duelists we mentioned are in the rank of Ra Yellow."

"Alright." said Two. "That's good...if Nine loses, then Eight can fight them...he's in Ra Yellow as well, correct?"

"Yes." said Ten.

"Alright." said Two. "You three may be dismissed."

The three nodded, and walked away.

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"Whew." said Twelve, sighing. "Why didn't he punish us to death, like in the movies?"

"Fool." said Ten. "This isn't a movie. Also, they can't spare any soldiers. They idea to get 'Minutes' was never able to pass, considering we couldn't find any others besides us twelve who believe that murdering the fools running the world is the best way to dispose of them."

"I see." said Twelve. "Then, I have to ask...what's the 'Zero Hour' project?"

Ten looked at him. "You shall find out when it is executed. For now...we shall continue to be informed on the progress of Ishi and his friends."

"Huh." said Twelve. "I wonder...it's been three or so days since we left, right? I wonder what they've been doing since then..."

"I bet..." said Eleven. "They've been resting!"

"Probably." said Ten. "Although..."

_The two weaknesses, Iwashi and Yoshiko...have they realized what they should do yet?_

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_It's been three days._ Thought Ishi.

He was lying in his bed, Miro reading a book on his own bed. _When are they going to send in other members of the Twelve Hours of the Night? There should be nine left...Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, and One. Miro, Serra, and I were each able to defeat our opponents...but it seems that Serra's the strongest of us all. I've been thinking for days about ways to train, but none come to mind. Iwashi and Yoshiko...I haven't seen them for a while...could they be training? Maybe I could join them...no, they have their own thing. Maybe I should spar against Serra...?_

He scratched his head. _I don't know if I should...she seems awfully distant from all of us. And she claims to be psychic...although it seems that she really is. She was easily able to beat Ten...well, losing less than half of her Life Points. As she is now, she could probably beat a few more...maybe up to Seven or so? No, it really depends on how strong the ones further up are. There could be only a slight difference in strength, or a huge one. Hm...in that case, I really do need to train..._

He nodded to himself._ Alright, the next time I have a chance, I'll ask Serra to duel me. For practice..._

With that thought, he fell asleep. Miro looked over at him, hearing him snoring.

_Ishi..._ he thought. _Are you sure you're ready to face more of the Twelve Hours of the Night...then again..._

_Am I even ready?_

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Iwashi: 200

Yoshiko: 1400

"Kenshin, attack directly for the win!" exclaimed Iwashi.

"Ugh." said Yoshiko. Iwashi had only Rurouni- Kenshin, while she had no cards on the field. Iwashi had cleared up the field with a combination of Dark Hole and Heavy Storm.

Yoshiko: 0

"Alright!" said Yoshiko. "I think both of us have improved by a lot these past three days! Now all we need is..."

"...to rest." said Iwashi. "I think...we've done enough for now."

Yoshio looked at him. "Are you sure, Iwashi?"

"Yeah." he said. "You and I will take on Nine and Eight, when they arrive. That will be our test. If we lose, then they'll just try and duel Ishi. They don't know that we hold the knowledge."

"True." said Yoshiko. She nodded. "Alright! That'll be our test! Are you ready, Iwashi?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "We can do this!"

The two grinned at each other.

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"Oh, me?" said a voice.

"Yes." said the voice belonging to Three. "You, Nine, shall meet up with Eight at Duelist Academy. You can probably get there in two days form where you are right now."

"Sure." said the one known as Nine. "So who do I looked for?"

"Ishi Shihai, Iwashi Obi, Yoshiko Takana, Miro Miyake, and a psychic named Serra." said Three. "Iwashi and Yoshiko might be possible weaknesses. I want you and Eight to attack one of them each."

"Got it." said Nine. "We'll beat them, and then get the knowledge of what happened to Aizen."

"Yes." said Three. "But remember...Ishi is the one who actually hold the knowledge."

"Alright." said Nine. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Three hung up.

"Alright, Iwashi and Yoshiko!" said Nine out loud. "Prepare for duels you'll never forget!"

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Next Time:

_The Tests Begin_

_Nine arrives at the Island, preparing to duel, while Eight watches from the shadows, ready to take over if necessary! It's Nine versus Iwashi in this next duel..._

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Author's Note: Here's the chapter for today, and I gave you guys some interesting things to think about.

The 'Zero Hour' project and Five's connection to Aizen.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	22. The Tests Begin

Chapter Twenty-Two:

The Tests Begin

Two days later...

"Alright!" said Nine, smiling. "Duelist Academy is in the distance!"

He wore a bathing suit, sunglasses, a T-Shirt, had his hair cut short, and was looking through binoculars.

"The beach rules!" he said. "I can probably enjoy it after I defeat the enemies and get the info on Aizen...! One's nice like that, I think..."

He grinned, eyes closed. "Less than an hour until I get there, I can't wait!"

He opened his eyes. "But let's see...Iwashi or Yoshiko? I can't decide..."

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A boy looked from the shores of Duelist Academy, staring at the boat coming towards the island.

_Finally, Nine is here._ He thought. _Finally, we can move._

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Ishi yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying.

"And so Yugi used Exodia to defeat the three Blue-Eyes." said the teacher.

Ishi yawned again. _How boring. Geez, I'm almost hoping the Twelve Hours of the Night would come and do something already! _

He yawned a third time, and looked over at Yoshiko. She was smiling.

_Why is she so happy?_ He thought. _Did something good happen?_

Shrugging off the thought, he looked back at the teacher. It was then that he remembered how boring he was.

_Damn._ He thought. _I changed my mind. I _do _wish the Twelve Hours of the Night would attack. ANYTHING TO STOP THIS BORING STUFF!_

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"Welcome, Nine." said the boy who was waiting on the shore.

"Ah, Eight!" said Nine. "It's good to see you! Lucky, you get to have a station near the beach! Wait a minute..."

He eyed his superior closely. "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Shouldn't you be treating me with more respect?" replied Eight.

"Good point." said Nine. He stretched. "So, when should we get the two we're gonna face? By the way, can we face Yoshiko and Iwashi?"

"Now is a good time, and sure." said Eight. "Since everyone else is in a class right now, we won't be disturbed. And that way, their friends can't follow them."

"Good plan!" exclaimed Nine, with a smile. "I guess that's why you're Hour Eight!"

"...whatever." said Eight. "Let's go."

They both walked off towards Duelist Academy.

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Iwashi yawned, not knowing that Ishi was yawning at the same time, but in a different class.

_I'm bored._ He thought, not knowing that Ishi was thinking similar thoughts.

_I wish something interesting..._

"**Attention!**" said a voice from the loudspeakers. "**Would Yoshiko Takana and Iwashi Obi please report to the Ra Yellow dueling field? I repeat, would Yoshiko Takana and Iwashi Obi please report to the Ra Yellow dueling field?**"

"Ah, Sensei!" said Iwashi. "May I please go."

"Whatever." said Nishimoto, his teacher. He went back to teaching.

_That's gotta be them!_ Thought Iwashi, running out of the room. He noticed Yoshiko behind him, and slowed down enough for her to catch up.

"You ready, Iwashi?" asked Yoshiko.

"Yeah." said Iwashi. "And you?"

"You bet." said Yoshiko.

They got to the Ra Yellow dueling field about two minutes later, seeing a figure waiting on the stand.

"Hey there!" said the man standing there. "You must be Iwashi and Yoshiko! My name is Nine, and it's nice to meet you!"

"Hey." said Iwashi. "Are you hear to duel for the info from Ishi?"

"Yup!" said Nine. "But I was advised to go against you two first, since you were apparently weaker than the others."

"...I see." said Iwashi. He stepped up onto the stage. "Weaker, eh?"

He activated his duel disk, and so did Nine. "That's right!"

Iwashi glared at him. "Well I'll show you that I'm not weak...by defeating you!"

"Glad to hear it!" said Nine. "Your determination, that is!"

Eight watched from the shadows, frowning. _Iwashi...he doesn't seem as weak as I was told._

Shrugging the thought off, he watched the duel.

"Let's duel!" exclaimed Iwashi.

Iwashi: 4000

Nine: 4000

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Next Time:

_Testing: Iwashi Obi_

_The duel of Iwashi and Nine has begun, with Nine's strategy being revealed as a perfect defense strategy! Can Iwashi defeat the 'Damage Taker'? _

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Author's Note: You should know Nine's deck if you've read Legendary Shadows! See chapters 113-115 (116 is the conclusion of the duel, even though this certain deck isn't in it).

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	23. Testing: Iwashi Obi

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Testing: Iwashi Obi

Iwashi: 4000

Nine: 4000

"Alright, Iwashi!" said Nine. "Since you're weaker, why don't you go first?"

"Heh." said Iwashi. "You shouldn't be so certain that I'm weak. You go first."

Nine shrugged. "It's your funeral. I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Iwashi drew, and looked at his hand. "I'll also set a monster in defense mode. Then I set a face-down card. I end."

"I draw." said Nine. He looked over his hand. "Ah, perfect! I set another monster as well as a face-down card. End turn!"

_He got happier as he set that monster._ Thought Iwashi, drawing. _It might be something good...I better watch out._

"I summon Young Swordsman- Yahiko (1500/1200)!" exclaimed Iwashi. "And then he'll attack your newest monster!"

_Better get rid of it as soon as possible!_ He thought.

"My monster is..." said Nine, grinning. "Damage Taker (0/0)! Sorry, but if I have another monster on my side of the field, you can't attack it! Also, you can't directly attack me while he's on the field. One last thing, he can't be destroyed in any way other than battle."

"I see..." said Iwashi. "So if I want to defeat you, I'll have to get rid of all of your monsters besides Damage Taker, and then crush Damage Taker! Alright! I end my turn!"

"It's not as easy as it seems..." said Nine. He looked at the card he just drew, and placed it on his duel disk. "Another set monster. I end my turn."

_Something's wrong..._ thought Yoshiko. _With a monster with only fifteen hundred attack points, Iwashi's a good target to be attacked...why isn't Nine attacking?_

"I draw!" said Iwashi. He looked at his hand now. "Alright, I'll flip summon Kamiya Dojo Instructor- Kaoru (1700/1500) and then summon Brawler- Sanosuke (2000/700)! Now the latter will attack your first monster!"

"Heh." said Nine. "My monster is..."

A huge suit of steel armour appeared, in a kneeling position. Sanosuke hit his hand against it, then fell back, clutching it in pain.

"Steel Armour-Man (0/2600) is too strong, sorry!" said Nine. "Now you lose Life Points!"

Iwashi: 3400

"Damn..." said Iwashi. "Well...then I guess Kaoru will attack your new monster!"

"NO!" yelled Yoshiko. "Idiot! He's playing a defense deck!"

"What?" said Iwashi, in shock. He noticed that Kaoru had attacked another suit or armour, this time silver in colour.

"Silver Armour-Man (0/2700)!" said Nine.

Iwashi: 2400

"Damn..." said Iwashi. "You're good."

"Well, it comes from being 'Nine'." said Nine. "I had to be good enough to be at this rank. But, hell...I'd be even better if I was working with Eight...then again, I shouldn't tell you about that."

"I end my turn, then." said Iwashi. _But I think I have a plan..._

"My turn!" said Nine. "And, let's see...I think I'll play March of the Armour-Men! I can now special summon a level four or lower Armour-Man monster from my deck! And I choose Bronze Armour-Man (0/2400) in defense mode!"

A bronze version of the kneeling suit or armour appeared. But then it vanished, being replaced with a set card. "Then I sacrifice it for a set monster. I end my turn."

_It must be a stronger monster..._ thought Yoshiko. _Defense points-wise, that is. I wonder if Iwashi will be smart enough to leave it alone..._

"Alright, I'll attack your new monster with Yahiko!" said Iwashi.

_He IS a moron!_ Thought Yoshiko, her mouth wide open.

"Ha! You hit Gold Armour-Man (0/3200)!" said Nine, revealing a golden suit of armour, kneeing on the ground. "Now the end of your game is near..."

"Ugh..." said Iwashi.

Iwashi: 600

"Ah, Iwashi..." said Nine. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't quite look like your strong enough to beat me...and you seem to be a little dull."

"Dull, eh?" asked Iwashi. "I'd call this careful planning 'smart'! I play a spell card...Reversal Quiz!"

He discarded all of the cards in his hand, and sent Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, and his face-down card to the graveyard. "Alright, now I name the type of card on the top of my deck. If I'm right, then our Life Points are switched! If I'm wrong, nothing happens...but let's see. I call...SPELL!"

He revealed the card. It was 'Revenge for Fallen Allies'. He smiled, then placed it on the top of his deck.

Iwashi: 4000

Nine: 600

"Ugh..." said Nine. _Was he planning that all along?_

"To make things better..." said Iwashi. "All of your monsters have zero attack points. Even if you play a monster with some, you won't be able to damage me. Nine, in the end...I'm going to win. I end my turn."

"Don't be so cocky!" said Nine, drawing. "You still have to get past my Damage Taker! Until then, you can't do any battle damage to me!"

"Hmph." said Iwashi. "You really need to learn the effects of more cards..."

"I set a monster!" said Nine, ignoring Iwashi. "Then I end my turn!"

"My turn!" said Iwashi. "And I play the spell card which I just drew...Revenge for Fallen Allies! Now you lose four hundred Life Points for each monster I have in my graveyard! A simple card, but strong enough to beat you!"

"No..." said Nine. "I lost...against someone who's supposed to be weaker than Eleven..."

Nine: 0

"It's not your fault, Nine." said Eight, stepping out from the shadows.

Yoshiko and Iwashi looked at the newcomer. "Good job, Iwashi. I shall fight next, though."

"But you're fighting me!" said Yoshiko, making him look at her. "Yoshiko Takana!"

Eight smiled. "Alright. But I warn you- I'm not as defensive as Nine."

Both Nine and Iwashi stepped down, each on different sides. They were both eager to watch this next duel.

"Are you ready, Yoshiko?" asked Eight.

"Yeah!" said Yoshiko. "You?"

"Of course."

He activated his duel disk, as did Yoshiko.

"Let's duel!" said Yoshiko.

Yoshiko: 4000

Eight: 4000

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Next Time:

_Testing: Yoshiko Takana_

_The second duel is Yoshiko versus Eight! Can Yoshiko prove her strength like Iwashi did? Will she be able to handle the opposite deck of Nine's defensive deck- Eight's offensive deck?_

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Author's Note: We've hit 20000 words(...as of last chapter)! Again, check chapters 113-116 of Legendary Shadows for more info on Nine's deck. Also for info on Eight's deck.

I should come up with more decks than just re-used Legendary Shadows decks... (frowns)

Please R&R! Look forward to Yoshiko VS Eight!

-Salazare


	24. Testing: Yoshiko Takana

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Testing: Yoshiko Takana

Yoshiko: 4000

Eight: 4000

"Beware." said Eight. "I am stronger than Nine. So you better be stronger than Iwashi."

"Heh." said Yoshiko. "With how good Iwashi did, I could be weaker than him and still beat you!"

"Hmph." said Eight. "Then I suppose you don't mind if I go first?"

"Be my guest!" said Yoshiko.

"Alright." said Eight. "I set a monster and a spell or trap card. I end my turn."

"My turn!" said Yoshiko. "And I play the field spell card, Pure Love Zone! Now all monsters with 'Pure of Heart' in their card name now gain three hundred attack points! So when I summon Pure of Heart- Love (1500/600) she'll gain three hundred (1800)! Also, since the monster I summoned was this one, she'll have her own effect also! 'Love Boost'! Now all monsters with 'Pure of Heart' in their card name gain three hundred extra attack points (2100)!"

"Yeah!" said Iwashi. "Awesome!"

"Attack!" exclaimed Yoshiko.

"Hmph." said Eight. "I chain Negate Attack."

"Fine." said Yoshiko. "I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Eight. "Now it's time for my monster to be revealed! Sumo Giant (2300/300)!"

A giant person with a loincloth wrapped around their side appeared, stomping on the ground with its steps.

"So...you were trying to lead me to summon a monster all along!" whispered Yoshiko.

"Yes." said Eight. "And now I sacrifice Sumo Giant in order to summon forth Power-loving Giant (2600/100)! Now he attacks your monster!"

"Damn..." said Yoshiko. "You...

"Are such a fool!"

She revealed her face-down card. "Shrink! Now your monster's attack is cut in half (1300)!"

"Hm." said Eight. "Not bad..."

The Giant tried to attack Love, but fell, losing.

Eight: 3200

"You're not bad." said Eight. "I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Yoshiko. "I summon Pure of Heart- Destroyer (1900 + 600/400)! Now he'll attack you directly!"

"I activate my face-down card." said Eight. "Magic Cylinder. Now you'll lose a lot of Life Points."

Yoshiko: 1500

"Urg..." said Yoshiko. "That hurt...oh well. I attack you with Love!"

Eight: 1100

"And now we're nearly even!" said Yoshiko. "Alright, I end my turn!"

"Hmph." said Eight. "With no protection. I shall crush you, Yoshiko Takana!"

He drew his next card. "I play two cards- Monster Reborn and Premature Burial (ELP: 300)! Now I revive Sumo Giant (2300/300) and Power-loving Giant (2600/100)! Now Sumo Giant will attack Love!"

The woman fell to the Giant, making Yoshiko's eye twitch (YLP: 900).

"And now Power-loving Giant will attack your weakened Destroyer (2200)!" exclaimed Eight.

Yoshiko: 500

"Almost even, again..." said Iwashi.

"I end my turn." said Eight. "Try and defeat me now."

"Heh." said Yoshiko, with a smile. "Eight, I'm going to defeat you."

She drew her next card. "And I'm going to prove it to you! Heart Conquers All! I can now special summon all monsters with 'Pure of Heart' in my graveyard by paying half of my Life Points!"

Yoshiko: 250

"Now marvel at Pure of Heart- Love (2100/600) and Pure of Heart- Destroyer (2500/400)!"

"I still don't see how you'll win with those cards." said Eight.

"Watch!" said Yoshiko. "I summon...another Pure of Heart- Love (2400/600, 2400/600, and 2800/400)."

"Wait..." said Eight. "But that means..."

"That's right!" said Yoshiko. "Pure of Heart- Destroyer (2800) attacks your Sumo Giant (2300)!"

The evil-looking man ran up and attacked the giant man, punching him...and making him fall down on his back.

Eight: 0

"Damn..." said Eight. "I lost..."

He sighed. "Oh well. You guys...I guess you aren't as weak as we heard."

Nine nodded. "Yes. Especially you, Iwashi...beating me at a score of four thousand."

Iwashi blushed a little, and smiled. "Oh, but you were really good!"

"Heh." said Nine. "Thanks, but no need for lies. I prefer the truth, after all."

He and Eight moved to leave. "Soon, though, you'll start to face Seven and below. While Seven and Six are strong, it's Five and below you should be worried about. They're extremely powerful."

He and Eight walked out of the field room. "Good luck, Iwashi and Yoshiko!"

When they left, Iwashi and Yoshiko looked at each other.

After a minute or two of silence, they both stretched out their mouths into grins.

"WE WON!"

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Next Time:

_Second Period of Rest and Training_

_Iwashi and Yoshiko, informing the others of their victory, are still thrilled...yet decide to train more. Meanwhile, Ishi seeks out Serra. He and she discuss what lies in store for them in the future._

_Meanwhile, Six and Seven are talking to Eight and Nine about what shall come next for the Twelve Hours of the Night. Seven and Six are now sent to duel any of the five they wish...who will they choose?_

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Author's Note: Iwashi and Yoshiko have both beaten a member of the Twelve Hours of the Night, now! Yay!

But next are Six and Seven. And after that, the one known as Five supposedly has something to do with Aizen...he'll be up. Who will he or she wish to duel?

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	25. Second Period of Rest and Training

Chapter Twenty-Five:

Second Period of Rest and Training

"_Eh? You two beat Eight and Nine? Great job!"_

Iwashi still smiled at those words, and Ishi's surprise and belief.

_Heh heh._ He thought, laying in his bed. _I can't wait to actually show him how strong I've gotten!_

He looked over, though, seeing that both Ishi and Miro were gone. He sighed.

_I wonder where everyone is...?_

A knock at the door.

Iwashi got up and answered it. It was Yoshiko.

"Hey." she said. "You ready to train some more, just in case?"

"Sure!" he said, with a smile. "Anytime!"

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Ishi was sitting down, looking at the person sitting across from him. Serra.

"So." he finally said, after about an hour of silence. "Did you hear about the defeat of Eight and Nine?"

"Yes." said Serra. "Yoshiko told me. She and Iwashi did well."

"Yeah." said Ishi. More silence.

"Ishi..." said Serra. "I figure I should tell you a few things. One, you don't need to train any more than your draw."

"Alright." said Ishi. "I can do that."

"Also..." said Serra. "Names have been repeating through my head, as of late."

"What names?"

"Well..." said the psychic. "...Kazuto...Izuna...Aizen...and, well...Shihai."

Ishi frowned. "Shihai must mean me...and..."

_The name Izuna...it's so familiar. Like I know someone with that name. But who would I know with that name?_

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"Hello, Nine. Hello, Eight."

Nine smiled, seeing his' and eight's allies. "Ah, Seven and Six!"

Two men, aged thirty or so, looked back at the smiling Nine and the frowning Eight.

"You two lost, didn't you?"

"Yup!" said Nine, still smiling. "We had been misinformed about Iwashi and Yoshiko being weak. Or they trained. Or we weren't at our best..."

"Shut up." said Six. "You're getting annoying."

Nine continued his smile. "Ah, my apologies."

"Hmph." said Seven. "If we weren't short on allies, Six and I would kill you right now, Nine."

"Seven is correct." said Six.

Still, Nine refused to stop his smile. "Well, who will you two face?"

"I wish to face Serra." said Six.

"And I want to face Iwashi." said Seven. "I want to see how strong he really is...not that beating _you_ is any challenge, Nine."

The two walked away, probably boarding their ship. As they left, Nine finally frowned.

"Those two..." he said. "Give me a very bad feeling..."

"Yes, I agree." said Eight. "Perhaps they are true monsters."

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"Five."

A figure standing in the shadows, Five, looked up at the person talking to him. It was One.

"Yes, One?" he said. His voice was quivering a little, and he was moving something in his hands.

"We are getting closer to finding out the truth of Aizen." said the leader.

"Ah!" said Five. "Thank you!"

"Yes." said One. "So...when we find out, will you be able to concentrate on working on the 'Zero Project'?"

"Yes!" said Five. "No matter what the truth is, I promise to finish the 'Zero Project' shortly after I find out the truth!"

"Good." said One. "You, though, will be the next to be sent...if Six and Seven lose."

"You mean whoever had the knowledge has beaten Eight through Twelve?!" exclaimed Five. "That's impossible!"

"It's quite possible." said a female voice.

"Hello, Four." said One.

"Hello, One. Like I said, Five..." said Four. "It's quite possible. Anyways...One. I've come to mention that, no matter what, I want to duel Ishi Shihai."

"Oh?" asked One. "It's your choice, is there any particular reason?"

"I know him." said Four, cracking her knuckles. "And I hate him."

"Ah!" said One. "Hate is a good source! But, Four, you'll have to wait. If Seven and Six lose, then I'm sending Five on his own."

"Understandable." said Four. She smiled. "So I shall go with Three?"

"No." said One. "With this new information you gave me, I think you should go alone."

"Thank you." said Four. "Don't worry, I won't lose."

"Heh." said One. "Perhaps, though, Five won't lose. And he can find the info on his own."

"That would be for the best." said Five.

He went back to his work, and the other two were silent.

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Next Time:

_Bad Feeling Proved True_

_Seven and Six leave for Duelist Academy, arriving two days later! When they get there, though, Serra mentions the bad auras coming from them...auras that even Ishi, Iwashi, Miro, and Yoshiko can feel!_

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Author's Note: It's starting to get hot in CA...oh, and I'm going to the beach on Friday. I'll be gone until Sunday. No updates until I get back, sorry. (Frowns)

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	26. Bad Feeling Proved True

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Bad Feeling Proved True

"We're almost there." said Six. He looked at Seven.

"Yes." said Seven. He looked at Six.

"Soon..." said Six. "Soon, Seven. Soon we shall defeat our enemies, unleash the 'Zero Project', and the Twelve Hours of the Night shall rule all...and our dream can come true."

"Yes." said Seven. He looked at Duelist Academy, in the distance. "We both have our own desires...and yet they both involve the destruction of the fools in charge of this world."

"Yes." said Six. He looked at Duelist Academy as well. "First, though, we must defeat Ishi Shihai and friends."

Seven nodded.

"It's almost time..."

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Ishi blinked. He rubbed his eyes.

"So it's really there..." he muttered. "The third ship."

He frowned. Miro, who was sitting next to him, also frowned.

"Ishi..." said Miro. "What are we going to do?"

Ishi was silent. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he said something.

"Miro...we're going to fight. Maybe not you and I, but some of us in the group. And...we're going to win."

Miro smiled. "Yes..."

"Ah, I hope we do."

Ishi and Miro jumped, not expecting the voice to come out of nowhere. They turned to see Serra...Iwashi and Yoshiko a short distance behind her.

"Guys..." said Ishi. He smiled. "You all came..."

"Of course!" said Iwashi. "We wanted to be on the lookout! Great minds think alike, eh?"

"Actually, Serra had a bad feeling." said Yoshiko. "She told us...and Iwashi's just trying to act cool."

Iwashi twitched, and looked down. There was a comical look of sadness on his face.

"Heh." said Ishi. "Iwashi, you'll have to do a hell of a lot more than that."

"Hey!" said Iwashi, and the others (excluding Serra) laughed.

"Everyone." said Serra. "Look."

They all looked up, and noticed that the boat was going to reach the shore...in probably five minutes.

"It's almost time..." said Ishi.

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As the boat reached the shore, Serra shivered. He looked at the others, and noticed something strange.

Each of them shivered as well.

"Do you feel that?" asked Serra, as two men prepared to get off of the boat. "That...chill?"

"Yeah..." said Ishi. "What is it? It's...such a bad feeling!"

"It's their bad auras." said Serra. "And they're so strong...it's amazing."

"Bad auras, eh?" said one of the men, finally stepping into hearing range. "So you can sense them?"

"Yes." said Serra, knowing that he was talking to her. "And it seems that the others can sense them, even if only slightly."

"I see." said the second man. "It's that sort of attitude that makes me want to face you, Serra."

"Are you Six and Seven?" asked Serra.

"Yes." said the one who wanted to challenge Serra. "I am Six. And my friend is Seven. And you five...are going to be defeated, here and now."

"You can't say that until you've faced us." said Iwashi, with a grin.

"And that's why I want to face _you_, Iwashi..." said Seven. "To crush that attitude of yours..."

_Both of their reasons involve attitudes..._ thought Ishi.

"Are you ready, then?" asked Iwashi. "I'm guessing it's you and I first, Seven! And I'm ready to beat you!"

"Huh." said Seven. "That attitude again..."

He activated his duel disk. "Right here, on the beach. Is that alright?"

"Fine by me!" Iwashi also activated his duel disk. "Let's duel, you jackass!"

Iwashi: 4000

Seven: 4000

_Six and I _will_ get our wish..._ thought Seven.

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Next Time:

_True Use of Armour_

_The Armour Deck is back, but this time using a different strategy than Nine's! Seven has far more lethal powers, and a reason to fight that makes him stronger than anyone! But Iwashi has a heart, and undying loyalty to Ishi that makes him stronger than anyone as well! Armour versus Meiji Swordsmen, again! _

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Author's Note: The Armour deck is back, this time for more than defense!

Okay...I admit it. I love the Armour deck. The defense is a little over-powered, though...

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	27. True Use of Armour

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

True Use of Armour

Iwashi: 4000

Seven: 4000

Iwashi frowned, studying Seven. He wore black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, and had black hair. The hair was long, and tied in a ponytail. He was frowning, as was Six.

Six had the same clothes and hair style as Seven. Or perhaps it was the other way around...

Shaking his head, Iwashi drew a sixth card. "I'm going first! I summon Rurouni- Kenshin (1900/1900) in attack mode! Then I set a card and end my turn!"

"My turn, then." said Seven. He looked at his hand. "Alright, I'll summon forth Bronze Armour-Man (0/2400) in attack mode!"

Iwashi groaned, seeing the bronze suit of armour rise. "Not the armour again..."

"Watch out, Iwashi!" yelled Yoshiko. "He played it in attack mode!"

"That's right." said Seven. "I activate a continuous spell card. It's the card known as Attacking Armour. It switches the attack and defense points of all monsters with 'Armour-Man' in their card name for as long as it remains face-up on the field. Though, I have to pay three hundred Life Points during each of my standby phases (2400/0)."

The Armour-Man drew his sword, and pointed it at Iwashi's Rurouni.

"Damn...!" swore Iwashi.

"This is bad..." said Ishi. "Armour-Man decks contain several high-defense monsters...most at level four! Bronze Armour-Man being the weakest of them! The strongest monster, if I recall, is the Gold Armour-Man...at thirty-two hundred defense points and one sacrifice!"

"Those monsters..." said Miro. "Seem hard enough to fight while in defense, but when in attack..."

"They're almost invincible." said Ishi. "And Seven is sure to have even more cards to assist the Armour-Men."

"That's right." said Seven. "My deck is nearly invincible. And now my Bronze Armour-Man will destroy Ruoruni- Kenshin!"

"Ugh..." Iwashi could only watch as Kenshin tried to fight back with his sakabato, but lost to the bronze sword of the Armour-Man.

Iwashi: 3500

"Pathetic." said Seven. "I end my turn."

Iwashi drew, and glanced at the field. Then he realized something was wrong.

_But what?_ He thought. He looked at the field, but he couldn't find anything. He shook his head.

_I'll think more about it later..._

He looked at his hand, and chose a card. "I set one card face-down, and then play Young Swordsman- Yahiko (1500/1200) in defense mode! I end my turn!"

"I'll draw." said Seven (SLP: 3700). "And then I play the spell card, Bronze Armour-Man Trio! I can now special summon as many Bronze Armour-Man cards as possible from my deck, paying five hundred Life Points for each one!"

Seven: 2700

Two more Bronze Armour-Men appeared on the field (2400/0 x2). "And now you'll die, Iwashi Obi...my weakest monster shall crush you. Nine overestimated your strength...attack, first Bronze Armour-Man."

"It's you who's underestimated me!" exclaimed Iwashi. "I play my face-down trap card, Kaoru's Need to Help! It lets me special summon Kamiya Dojo Master- Kaoru from my deck if one of my monsters in defense mode is being targeted this turn (1700/1500)!"

Kaoru appeared, kneeling in defense mode. Seven smirked. "So you can save yourself for one turn. My first two Bronze Armour-Men will destroy your two monsters!"

Iwashi flinched as Kaoru and Yahiko were crushed, not even being able to fight back. But his Life Points stayed the same.

"Hmph." said Iwashi. "You still haven't beaten me!"

"I attack you directly, now." said Seven, emotionlessly.

Iwashi: 1100

Iwashi flew back at the strike, falling onto sand. He slowly struggled up, and frowned.

"Damn, that was good..." said he. "Too bad you're evil."

"Whatever." said Seven. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" said Iwashi. "I summon Brawler- Sanosuke (2000/700) in defense mode! And then I end my turn!"

"Heh." said Seven, drawing (SLP: 2400). "Summoning a brawler in defense mode...it shows your current weakness. Iwashi Obi, I shall now crush you. I sacrifice one of my Bronze Armour-Man cards in order to summon forth Gold Armour-Man (3200/0)!"

The golden suit of armour came forth, drawing its blade. Iwashi showed no emotion while facing it.

"So you've accepted your defeat." said Seven. "You're more wise than I gave you credit for. Bronze Armour-Man, destroy Sanosuke."

The suit of bronze armour walked slowly up to the kneeling fighter, and brought his sword down. Iwashi frowned.

"Sorry, Sanosuke..." said he.

"And now my Gold Armour-Man shall attack you directly, and finish you off!" said Seven.

"Heh." said Iwashi. He smiled. "You know what I realized earlier? You, even though you have defensive monsters, focus purely on attacking. You have no defenses."

"So?" said Seven. The gold suit of armour was about to strike Iwashi.

"So you wouldn't know anything about defense!" said Iwashi, revealing his face-down card. "Negate Attack stops your monster's attack, and ends your battle phase!"

"Nice one!" said Yoshiko, grinning.

Six frowned, looking at Iwashi. _Why didn't he use it earlier? He could've saved some of his monsters...unless..._

"I end my turn." said Seven.

Iwashi drew. "Well, Seven...it's been a good game. But I'm going to end it. I play one of the most powerful spell cards in the Rurouni Kenshin series cards! Su-Shin Transformation!"

He picked the four monsters out of his graveyard, and placed them in his pocket. Suddenly, four lights appeared on the field. When the lights stopped glowing, four people...monsters...stood there. They were all identical, wearing long black pants and an honorable top. They each grinned, and wielded their separate weapons. One held a long staff, another held two swords, the third held a long spear, and the fourth had two gauntlets on his wrists.

"Meet the Su-Shin!" said Iwashi. "Su-Shin- Seiryu (2300/2000), Su-Shin- Suzaku (2200/1300), Su-Shin- Byakko (2400/1000), and Su-Shin- Genbu (1800/2400)!"

The four monsters grinned, their grins matching Iwashi's. "The Su-Shin Transformation card can only be played when I have at least four monsters in my graveyard. When played, I remove four monsters from my graveyard in order to special summon the four monsters from my deck!"

"I see." said Seven. "Those cards are very interesting, and powerful...but none of them can save you."

"Ah." said Iwashi. "But you don't know their effects. For example, Byakko can transfer up to one thousand of his attack points to another monster for the turn. And I choose to use this, transferring them to Suzaku!"

Byakko bowed towards Suzaku, who bowed back (3200/1300 and 1400/1000).

"And Suzaku..." said Iwashi. "Can attack twice per turn, for as long as he is attacking only monsters!"

Suzaku grinned, and Iwashi spoke again. "Seiryu, by the way, destroys a monster on the enemies side of the field when summoned or special summoned. And I choose the Gold Armour-Man."

Gold Armour-Man blew up, leaving only the two Bronze Armour-Men left on the field. "Genbu's effect is allowing me to draw a card when he destroys a monster, and that he's the only of the four who can attack directly, but I can only use the latter with him right now...for Suzaku is about to crush your final two monsters! Attack, Suzaku!"

The Su-Shin monster wielding dual blades ran up to both Bronze Armour-Man cards at once, striking them both down.

Seven: 800

"No..." whispered Seven. He looked at Genbu, who was grinning.

"Genbu!" said Iwashi. "Finish off Seven! Attack with the Genbu Serpent Staff!"

Genbu rushed up, holding his staff above his head, Seven looked up, frightened.

"Crap..." said he, as the staff was brought down.

The staff never touched his head, though. But he still flinched.

Seven: 0

"Alright!" said Yoshiko. "Go, Iwashi!"

Iwashi sighed. "Whew! Good game there, Seven."

Seven frowned. He looked at Six. "Six..."

"Seven...it's okay." said Six. "For I can obtain our dream even alone. Don't worry, I won't leave you behind. And I'll be dueling the one who is connected to that which we seek."

He looked at Serra, who had been silent since Six last spoke to her. "Isn't that right, Serra? Or should I say...Asaka Mitsushima."

Serra frowned, looking at Six. "It's been a while since I last heard that name, Souta. And, since you and he seem to be getting along so well...I'm guessing that's Ikuji."

She pointed at Seven, who smiled faintly.

"Yes." he said.

He looked at Serra. "You know what we want, don't you, Serra?"

She looked at him. She sighed.

"Yes..." she said. "Of course I know. My brother..."

Ishi looked at Serra. He knew what was coming next.

"Since that day, you've wanted it endlessly..."

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Next Time:

_Love From the Past_

_Serra, also known as Asaka Mitsushima, has a past with Six and Seven...named, they're her brothers! Souta and Ikuji Mitsushima, to be exact. They grew up together, Souta the oldest, Ikuji slightly younger, and Serra even younger...they were happy with their mother and father, until tragedy struck._

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Author's Note: Serra's real name is revealed. And now we're about to learn of her tragic past...

By the way, the Su-Shin Transformation card was fun to make!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	28. Love From the Past

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

Love From the Past

"Stupid brother..." said Asaka.

She frowned, looking at a picture book while sitting on her bed. Even though her eyes were on it, she wasn't reading it. "Why does he have to fight with Ikuji...?"

"_We lived together, along with our mother and father. Souta and Ikuji were about one year apart from each other, Ikuji seventeen at the time. I was only four, and yet I was as smart as someone thirteen. I understood the world, and all parts of it. All, that is, except for life and death."_

She sighed. _"I always got along with Ikuji better than Souta, always taking his side against the oldest. I still loved all of them, anyways."_

She looked up at the ceiling. _Why are Ikuji and Souta always fighting?_

She got up from her bed, and peeked outside the door. She saw her parents, both crying in each other's arms.

_Why are they crying?_ She thought. _Is it because Ikuji and Souta are fighting?_

"I'm sorry..." said her mother.

"It's not your fault." said her father. "You didn't get this on purpose. And don't worry...I'll take care of the kids."

Asaka walked into the room of her parents. "Are you going somewhere, mommy?"

Her mother looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes. She walked over to Asaka, slowly...and then embraced her.

"Yes..." said her mother. "And I'll be there for a long time...Asaka."

"_I didn't understand that my mother was sick...and that she was going to die."_

Asaka hugged her mother back, and then let go when her mother did. She walked back to her room, slightly confused.

_I don't want her to leave._.. thought Asaka.

She peaked into the room of her brothers, now.

"Ikuji!" exclaimed Souta. "We have to tell Asaka!"

_They're fighting about me?_ Asaka thought.

"We can't!" said Ikuji. "It'll only make things harder for her when it happens!"

"Dumbass! We can't keep her ignorant forever!"

Asaka frowned. She shrunk away, and went back to her room.

In her bed again, she closed her eyes.

_Maybe when I wake up, it'll all be over..._

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But when she woke up the next day, things were only worse.

She woke up...to the sound of an ambulance.

Looking outside, she saw her mother on a stretcher. Getting a sudden burst of energy, she ran outside as the ambulance left.

Going back inside, she sat on the couch. She waited there for several hours until the phone rang. Getting off of the couch to answer it, she noticed that it was her father on the phone.

"Sorry for leaving so suddenly, Asaka." said her father. "Souta, Ikuji, and I will be back in a few minutes."

"What about...mommy?" said Asaka.

She heard sniffling in the background, and a break in her father's normally powerful voice.

"She...left...Asaka, my dear." said her father. "She just left."

"Oh." said Asaka. "When will she be back?"

Her father seemed not to hear her. He said goodbye, and hung up.

"_I had never gotten to say goodbye._

"_That day, when my mother died..._

"_Souta moved out a few days later. Ikuji also moved out a little while later..._

"_Before Souta left, I heard him say certain words..."_

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"...One day, mother...I'll bring you back."

Ishi, Iwashi, Miro, and Yoshiko looked at Six. Then they looked at Serra again.

"...I see." said Ishi. "So, you two, Six and Seven...joined the Twelve Hours of the Night...why? What does joining them have to do with bringing your mother back from the dead?"

"You see..." said Six. "One has a plan. And for that plan, he needs Five to calm down. And for Five to calm down, he needs to know something...what happened to Kazuki Aizen, the old Seven. And that plan, by the way, involves the dead somehow."

"So you plan to bring back mom with the powers of that evil group?!" yelled Serra. "How could you defile her memory like that?!"

Ishi and his friends were surprised. That was the first time that they had heard Serra yell.

"Stupid fool of a brother!" she continued to yell. She activated her duel disk. "I'll make sure that you never do something as evil and unnatural as that! Let us duel!"

"Hmph." said Six, activating his own duel disk. "So, in the end, you don't wish to revive mother as well? What a horrible daughter you are! Asaka, I shall defeat you!"

"Whatever, Souta!" said Serra.

"My name is Six!" said Six. "I disposed of 'Souta' years ago!"

"As did I of 'Asaka'!" said Serra. "So call me Serra!"

Serra: 4000

Six: 4000

"Duel!"

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Next Time:

_Desire to Revive_

_Serra is now dueling Six, her own brother! Corrupted with the desire to bring back his lost mother from the dead, Six refuses to give up! But Serra, while missing her mother as well, refuses to let him sell his soul to evil for no good reason. After all, even if they don't have their mother, they're not completely alone._

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Author's Note: Okay, my vacation's over. Although it was a very crappy ending, considering I'm now sick! But even sick, I'm still giving you guys updates!

Let's say this is Friday's chapter, and I'll try and get two others up today- for yesterday and today.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	29. Desire to Revive

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

Desire to Revive

Serra: 4000

Six: 4000

"I'll go first." said Serra. _Souta, you fool..._

"I'll summon forth the Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode." said Serra. "And then I end my turn."

"Alright." said Six, drawing. "So far, I can already tell what you're going to do...you plan to use that card in order to get Crystal Ball from your deck!"

Serra smiled. "Even if that's my plan, knowing it is pointless. You must be able to defeat it."

"Of course, I plan to!" said Six. "I summon Vengeful Soldier (1000/1000) in attack mode!"

A human appeared on the field, wearing battered armour and drawing forth a rusted blade. He smiled, even though there was blood dripping from a wound on his left arm.

"He attacks your witch!" exclaimed Six.

"What?!" yelled out Iwashi. "That's so stupid!"

"Heh heh heh..." laughed Six (SiLP: 3800). "Oh? Look at my monster..."

Iwashi looked over to see that some of the monster's blood had cleared up, some of the rust from his sword had vanished, and his armour had become a little nicer-looking (1300/1300).

"Damn it..." said Serra. "Vengeful Soldier...a revival card. Whenever he doesn't win a battle, he gains three hundred attack and defense points...and if he's destroyed and brought back, he keeps that power boost. A very powerful and annoying card."

"That's right!" said Six. "A card that works perfectly with my wish! A wish of revival! Serra, you cannot defeat me! Give up, and allow Five to finish on the 'Zero Hour' project!"

"Hmph." said Serra. "Stop being such a fool..."

"Shut up!" said Six. "Stop defying my greatest wish! I set a card and end my turn!"

"I'll draw, then." said Serra. "And then I'll play Trap Invitation, allowing me to activate trap cards on the first turn they're set. Then I'll sacrifice my Witch in order to summon forth a new monster! Witch of the White Forest (2200/1000)!"

The new monster looked like the Witch of the Black Forest, except it had white features wherever the other Witch had black. Her hair was a shining silver colour, as well.

"And then I'll activate the effects of both my Witch of the Black Forest and my Witch of the White Forest!" said Serra. "You know the Black Forest Witch's effect, and I'll use it to get Crystal Ball like you said!"

She added the card to her hand, and Six smiled. "But now you don't have a summon for this turn..."

"Keep quiet." said Serra, making her opponent frown. "Now I'll use the Witch of the White Forest's effect, allowing me to add a monster of fifteen hundred or less defense points from my deck to my hand if 'Witch of the Black Forest' was sacrificed to summon her."

"I still don't see your plan." said Six.

"I now activate my face-down card, which I can do thanks to Trap Invitation!" said Serra. "And it is Ultimate Offering! Now I can pay five hundred Life Points in order to get extra normal summons or sets...even during your battle phase. So I'll pay five hundred Life Points (SeLP: 3500) in order to summon Crystal Ball (0/0) in attack mode! And then I use its effect to special summon Witch Who Watches the Crystal Ball (1700/1800) in attack mode. Of course, you _must_ know the thing that happens when these two are on the field at the same time..."

"Of course." said Six. "Both of them gain three hundred attack points (2000/1800 and 300/300), and Crystal Ball gains the ability to attack my Life Points directly."

Serra nodded. "And I'll use this effect! Attack directly!"

Six: 3500

"Next, my Witch of the White Forest will attack your Soldier!"

"Fine." said Six.

"After that, my other monster attacks directly!"

"Activate trap card..." said Six. "Call of the Haunted! Now my monster will be revived!"

The Soldier came back, smiling again. Also, he seemed to be a bit cleaner again...(1600/1600).

"Alright, I'll destroy it again with my other Witch!" said Serra.

"But he'll be at nineteen hundred attack points when you see him again." Six pointed out.

"Whatever..." said Serra, sliding two cards into her duel disk. "I'll set a card. After that, I'm playing Chain Energy!"

Chains appeared around the arms and legs of both Serra and Six. "Brother, this card will force this duel to go by a lot faster. For as long as it remains face-up on the field, you and I must pay five hundred Life Points if we wish to play a card from our hand...and that includes setting."

"I know that." snapped Six. "Just end your turn!"

Serra shrugged. "I end my turn, then."

"I'll draw!" said Six. "And then I'll play Monster Reborn (SiLP: 3000) in order to revive my Vengeful Soldier (1900/1900)! And then said Soldier will attack your Crystal Ball!"

"Crap..." said Serra (SeLP: 1900). "How stupid of me to leave it in attack mode..."

_That didn't seem like a move Serra would make..._ thought Iwashi. _Is she crumbling under the pressure of having to face her own brother? _

"Souta..." she said.

"Six!" exclaimed Six. "My name is Six, Asaka!"

"...Souta." said Serra. "Why do you want to revive mother so badly?"

"Because I miss her!" said Six. He set a card. "One card face-down, and I end my turn (SiLP: 2500)!"

"Why do you miss her?" asked Serra, drawing.

"Because she's my mother!" exclaimed Six. "Why else?!"

"...oh?" said Serra. "What about...our father?"

Six paused. "What...what do you mean?"

"You have him..." said Serra. "All three of us have him..."

"What are you saying?!" yelled Six.

"You can't always go thinking about mother only!" said Serra. "Father needs us too! I set a card face-down (SeLP: 1400)! And then I'll play my own Monster Reborn, reviving my Crystal Ball (300/0) (SeLP: 900) in attack mode!

"After that, I play Blessing of the Magic-User! Now I gain four hundred Life Points for each Spellcaster-type monster I have on my side of the field (SeLP: 1600)!

"And now..." she said. "Now I'll attack you directly with my Crystal Ball!"

Six: 2200

"Next..." said Serra. "Next comes an attack from the Witch Who Watches the Crystal Ball (2000)! She'll attack your Vengeful Soldier!"

"Hmph." said Six (SiLP: 2100). "That's nothing. I activate my face-down card, Trap-Imitating Spell. It allows me to mimic the effect of one trap card in the graveyard of either you or I. And I choose Call of the Haunted...in order to revive my Vengeful Soldier!"

"Not so fast!" said Serra. "I predicted something like this, so I prepared...I play my face-down card, Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

Serra: 600

"No way..." said Six. "You mean...all of that last move..."

"That's right." said Serra. "It was to prepare for your demise."

She looked at her remaining monster. Then she spoke. "Witch of the White Forest...finish this!"

The witch raised her hands and muttered some words. Then a beam of white light struck Six in the chest, sending him flying back.

Six: 0

"No way..." said Six, as the holograms disappeared. "But...mother..."

"I told you." said Serra. "Father needs our love too...can't you realize that?"

Six looked at her, and then looked down at the ground.

"I've been...the biggest fool." he muttered.

"Yes." said Serra. "But...in the end...

"I forgive you..."

Seven looked at his siblings, he smiled.

_Souta...Asaka..._ he thought.

_It's good to be...a family again._

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Next Time:

_Arrival, Departure_

_Leaving Serra and the others, Six and Seven go back to One in order to report. Seeing that they've failed, he sends in Five to defeat Ishi Shihai..._

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Author's Note: Sorry that I couldn't get it up last night. I was just too sick, sorry...

And I got it up late today because I was having writer's block, sorry about that. I'll do more chapters later, probably starting when I get this one up!

By the way, this is Saturday's Chapter. I'll get up yesterday's and today's ASAP.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	30. Arrival, Departure

Chapter Thirty:

Arrival, Departure

All of the people were silent for a few minutes, until Six spoke.

"Asaka..." he said. "Thank you..."

Seven walked up to join his siblings. "Souta...Asaka..."

"Ikuji..." said Serra. "Do you...also..."

Seven smiled. "I did, but now I see that you're right. We have to forget about mother...and embrace father."

They all got together for a hug, making the other four smile slightly.

Yoshiko's smile, though, was broken by a conversation...

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"_Sorry, Yoshiko! I guess he just liked me! Maybe you'll get lucky with the next guy?"_

"_Shut up, you slut! I know you seduced him! And I'm moving to Japan with mom!"_

"_Heh." the girl who was speaking smiled. "Slut, eh? Can I really control what other people think about me? Really, it's not my fault so many boys like me..."_

"_Shut the hell up!" yelled Yoshiko, slapping the other girl across the face. "Shut up, Claire!"_

_The girl named Claire frowned, rubbing her cheek. "Hmph. Go to Japan. Run away! I don't give a damn!" _

_With that, Yoshiko stormed out the door of the room they were in._

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"Claire..." she muttered. "Stupid girl. Why can't we be like these three?"

Shrugging it off, though, she noticed that the hug had broken off.

"We have to get going, I guess." Six was saying. "We should report in to One..."

Serra nodded. "Will you...ever come back to see me here?"

Six smiled. "As soon as we can leave the Twelve Hours of the Night, we'll make sure that we come here...to stay with you."

"Yes." said Seven. "And, together...we'll get stronger."

Both smiling, they boarded the ship, and left...

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A few days later...

"So you lost." said One. He was frowning.

"Yes, One." said Six. "And we apologize for it."

"Not only that..." continued One, ignoring Six. "But you say that you wish to leave our wonderful organization."

"Yes, One..." said Seven. "And, like Six said, we apologize."

"Six, Seven..." said One. "You know the reason we don't kill losers, right?"

"Yes..." said Six. "Because you have a shortage of members...in the...organization..."

He froze. He looked behind him, as did Seven.

Behind them stood Four, grinning...and wielding two shotguns.

The guns clicked...

BAM! BAM!

Six and Seven both fell to their knees, blood falling from their faces. They had not the time to utter a single word before death.

But they each had time for thoughts.

Their thoughts were the same. They both thought...

_Sorry, Asaka..._

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"Hmph." said One. "Useless pieces of shit."

The bodies had been taken away, and so Four was sitting at the foot of One's throne, smiling. "Glad you let me do the dirty work, One. It was fun."

"I knew you'd like it." said One. "Although now I need Five...would you mind getting him for me on your way out...it's Lunch time, so you probably want something to eat."

"Good point." said Four, getting up. "I'll do that."

As she left, One waited. And a few minutes later, Five walked in.

"Y-yes...One...?" he said.

"Five." said One. "It's your turn...you must now attempt to defeat Ishi Shihai."

"O-of course..." said Five. "I'll...do my best."

He tried his best to smile, although it only came out as something that could only be described as the shadow of a smile.

"Hmph." said One. "Good luck. Obtain the information, and then work on the 'Zero Hour' project..."

"Of course!" said Five. "I-I'll do it!"

He walked out of the room, going to fetch his duel disk.

"Hmph." said One. "That man...is very strange..."

He closed his eyes. "Soon, my friend...it will soon be time..."

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Next Time:

_Seeing Double_

_As Five arrives on the island, Ishi is prepared for the duel to begin...until his memory sparks and he sees something about Five that strikes him as familiar..._

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Author's Note: And here's Sunday's chapter.

Sorry if my excuses last time sounded like whining...well, they were, but...

I put a lot of (hopefully) interesting things in this chapter as apology for my writing neglection...so please forgive me!

Please R&R! The story arc is starting to come together!

-Salazare


	31. Seeing Double

Chapter Thirty-One:

Seeing Double

_Ishi Shihai._

Five was on a ship, a few hours after One spoke with him.

_Tell me, Ishi Shihai..._

_Tell me what happened to Kazuki Aizen. _

_I have to know..._

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A few days later...

_We've defeated numbers Six through Twelve._ Thought Ishi. _I beat Twelve...Miro beat Eleven...Serra beat Ten...Iwashi beat Nine...Yoshiko beat Eight...Iwashi beat Seven...and Serra beat Six. Next should be five...but something that Six said bugs me..._

"_You see..." said Six. "One has a plan. And for that plan, he needs Five to calm down. And for Five to calm down, he needs to know something...what happened to Kazuki Aizen, the old Seven. And that plan, by the way, involves the dead somehow."_

_And he said that their project was called 'Zero Hour'...what could it mean? Wait...could it mean...no...it can't be!_

He shot up from where he was laying down, on his bed. His eyes were wide open, and his breathing was harsh.

_They can't be planning something like that! It's unbelievable! But...wait...even if they do plan to do that, what do they plan to do next? How do they plan to take over with that...?_

He chuckled, and got back down. _It's ridiculous, what I'm thinking..._

He closed his eyes, and then opened one.

_What am I having a bad feeling about something...?_

"_Also..." said Serra. "Names have been repeating through my head, as of late."_

"_What names?"_

"_Well..." said the psychic. "...Kazuto...Izuna...Aizen...and, well...Shihai."_

_Kazuto..._ thought Ishi. _Did she mean to say 'Kazuki'? Because that would make sense, considering another one of those names was 'Aizen'..._

"_And for that plan, he needs Five to calm down..."_

Ishi shrugged, and got out of bed.

"I'm gonna go for a walk..." he muttered.

No one else was in the room though, so he had only spoken to himself.

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Five could see the island in the distance. He smiled faintly.

"I'm almost there, Ishi..." he said. "And, Kazuki...I can finally find out what happened to you..."

Another faint smile. "I promise..."

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Ishi, looking around, saw his friends waiting at the beach.

"Guys!" he called out. "What's up?"

"It's been a week since Souta and Ikuji left." said Serra. "The next one should be here by now, we thought...and we were right."

Ishi looked out into the distance and saw a boat coming their way.

"Five...maybe Four also?" he said. "Either way, they're coming..."

"They'll be here in less than an hour." said Iwashi. "Everyone...be ready."

They all waited patiently for the time to come...

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Thirty minutes later...

Five walked out onto the shore, wearing a cloak that covered his entire body, including his face.

_What a ridiculous outfit!_ Thought Iwashi.

"Ishi Shihai..." he said. "Are you here?"

"Yes." said Ishi, walking up. "I'm here, Five."

"Alright." said Five. "Let's duel."

Ishi nodded, and activated his duel disk. So did Five.

Ishi: 4000

Five: 4000

"Oh, wait...but it's kind of hot..."

Five grabbed his cloak and threw it off. Upon seeing the person, Ishi rubbed his eyes.

"No way..." he said, staring in shock. "You can't be...but...you're dead!

"Kazuki Aizen...!"

Everyone stared at Five, who smiled thinly...

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Next Time:

_Ishi's Honor_

_As he takes off his cloak, Five reveals that he has the same face as Kazuki Aizen, the old Seven! But as Ishi stares in shock, Five merely gives a thin smile...and speaks._

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Author's Note: Finally, today's chapter. I'm debating whether or not to have a duel in the next chapter...

Either way, I bet I shocked you all!

(Or not)

Please R&R! I might get up another chapter, considering I'm bored as hell!

-Salazare


	32. Ishi's Honor

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Ishi's Honor

"Kazuki...Aizen!" exclaimed Ishi.

Five gave a faint smile, and then shook his head.

"No..." he said. "My name is...Kazuto Aizen...Kazuki's twin brother."

Ishi frowned. "Kazuto Aizen, eh? So that's why you have to learn about Kazuki in order to calm down..."

"That's right." said Five. He raised his duel disk. "Now, Let me duel for the information...I want to know what happened to my brother, Kazuki..."

Ishi, in response to this, lowered his duel disk, de-activating it.

His friends and Five looked at him in surprise.

"Kazuto..." said Ishi. "There's no point in dueling. I'll tell you what happened to your brother. It's only right..."

"Ishi..." said Five, also de-activating his duel disk.

"But..." said Ishi. "Don't tell your superiors this information...it's only for you, as a person."

Five nodded. Although in the back of his mind, he smiled.

_But that won't stop me from finishing project 'Zero Hour', Ishi..._

_It's my honor..._ thought Ishi. _That is forcing me to tell him this...he better keep his promise...wait, no...maybe he doesn't have to keep a promise to his enemy..._

"Alright." said Ishi. "Here's the story..."

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After about an hour, the story was finished. It ended with five frowning.

"So...Kazuki tried to kill you...and you fought to protect yourself and your friends...and ended up killing the girl you loved, as well as my brother..."

Ishi nodded. "Sorry, Kazuto..."

"...it's alright." said Five. "It's alright..."

_One, I can now help you by finishing the 'Zero Hour' project..._

"Well, Kazuto..." said Ishi. "You should leave now...Four will come next, right?"

"Yes." said Five. "Actually...

"One asked her boat to leave soon after mine. So it should be here soon..."

Ishi nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Kazuto."

"Don't mention it..." said Kazuto. "Oh, and Ishi..."

"Yes?" asked Ishi.

"Beware of Four." said Kazuto. "She has some sort of grudge against you..."

"Thank you, Kazuto..."

_Grudge..._

_The four things Serra mentioned..._

_Shihai...it doesn't mean me..._

The boat drew up to shore just as Five's left.

"Come out!" yelled Ishi, surprising the others. "Come out, Four!"

The women came out, grinning.

"Ah, Ishi Shihai." said Four. "It's nice to meet you...!"

"Cut the crap!" yelled Ishi. "I know who you really are...

"Izuna Shihai! MOTHER!"

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"_I don't want him!"_

"_Well neither do I!"_

"_Bitch!"_

"_Shithead!"_

_Ishi, age eight, had to hear this banter every day. They were his parents, arguing. All the time. He hated it._

"_Then what the hell should we do with him?" yelled Ishi's father._

"_I don't care!" His mother, now. "And frankly, I don't give a damn!"_

_Ishi sighed. He doodled on a piece of paper in front of him._

_This is sad... he thought. I'm sad..._

_His parents burst into the room._

"_Brat!" yelled his mom. "Get the hell out of here! We never want to see you again!"_

_Ishi stared up at them both, pretending he couldn't understand her._

"_Don't play dumb!" yelled his mom, kicking him over. "We know you're smart!"_

_Ishi rubbed his cheek. "..."_

"_Gah, just kick him out." said Ishi's father. "No one'll question it. Then we can continue discussing."_

"_More like yelling..." muttered Ishi. It was a bad move._

"_Oh, just shut the hell up!" yelled his mother, literally kicking him out the door._

_After she shut the door, she turned to her husband. _

"_Let's argue later. I'm tired..."_

_The next month, they got a divorce...Izuna Shihai, Ishi's mother, was then walking along an alleyway, and saw a man in front of her..._

"_Who are you?" she asked._

"_One..." said the man. "...of the Twelve Hours of the Night..."_

"_Get the hell out of my way." said Izuna, trying to push him away._

"_We need a new member." said One. "And I sense hate inside of you...would you care to join us, and rid the world of all fools?"_

_Izuna stopped, and smiled._

"_Yes." she said, without having to think about it. "Yes, I do wish to destroy all fools..._

"_Let me join!"_

_One smiled. "Of course."_

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Four smile at these memories, and at Ishi.

"My son, Ishi Shihai..." said Four. "Let's duel...so I can actually kill you, in victory..."

_She's not even asking if Five lost..._ thought Yoshiko. _She's hellbent on defeating Ishi..._

As she walked down from her ship, Ishi nodded, and activated his duel disk.

Ishi: 4000

Four activated her's in response.

Four: 4000

"Let's duel..." said Ishi. "Mother..."

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Next Time:

_Not Really Love, Part One_

_Four, also known as Izuna Shihai, has shown herself. Now Ishi must face the torment of his own mother in a duel that costs his own life..._

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Author's Note: More secrets revealed, and it's time for school.

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	33. Not Really Love, Part One

Chapter Thirty-Three:

Not Really Love, Part One

Ishi: 4000

Four: 4000

"I'll go first!" said Four. "And my first move is Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards!"

She swiftly grabbed two cards from the top of her deck, and placed them in her hand. "Next, I'll set a card face-down, as well as a monster in face-down defense mode. I end my turn!"

"I draw, then." said Ishi. He looked at his hand. "Alright, I'll start off with three face-down cards, and Felsic Warrior- Pumice (600/1200) in defense mode! Pumice will deal you six hundred points of direct damage, and I'll end my turn."

Four: 3400

"My turn, then." said Four. She drew her next card. "Alright! I reveal my face-down monster, Shadow Assassin (500/500)!

Ishi flinched as Pumice was sliced by the Assassin's dagger. Four smiled, though. "I think you can see its effect. That, by the way, is similar to what I'm going to do to you...

"And now, Shadow Assassin will attack you directly!"

The Assassin ran up to Ishi, and slashed his arm. The boy twitched as his Life Points went down.

Ishi: 3500

"I end my turn." said Four.

"My turn." said Ishi. He drew, and smiled. "And I'll activate my first face-down card, Rock Bombardment! Now I'll send a rock-type monster from my deck to my graveyard in order to deal you five hundred points of direct damage!"

Four: 2900

"And now I'll activate a spell card!" said Ishi. "Low Silica Content! Now I can add a monster from my deck with 'Mafic' in its card name to my hand from my deck! I choose to add Mafic Warrior- Basalt to my hand. Next, I'll play the spell card known as Vesicular Texture! I can now discard Basalt from my hand in order to special summon a new monster from my deck! Meet Mafic Compound- Vesicular Basalt (2100/1500)!"

A lumped rock creature with holes in him appeared, rasing its rock fist.

"Attack her assassin!" exclaimed Ishi.

"Activate trap card, Assassin's Life!" said Four. "When you're about to destroy one of my monsters with 'Assassin' in their card name, I can send that card to the graveyard and special summon one monster from my hand in face-down defense mode!"

The Shadow Assassin vanished, and a new monster replaced it. Four smiled. "Also, your attack must continue."

Vesicular Basalt attacked the monster, and the monster was revealed...slicing Ishi's monsters' throat.

"You destroyed my second Shadow Assassin." said Four. "So now your monster is destroyed as well. Ishi, dear, you can't beat me!"

"Heh." said Ishi. "Says you. I think that I can, and I think that I will! When my monster is destroyed, the spell card used to special summon it is added to my hand from my graveyard! I end my turn!"

Four drew, and smiled. "I summon forth Breeze Assassin (500/500) in attack mode! She forces you to discard a card from the top of your deck whenever she damages your Life Points! So now she attacks!"

Ishi: 3000

Ishi discarded the top card from his deck, and frowned. "What's the point of those weak cards? Their effects are all over the place..."

"Shut it!" said Four. "I end my turn with a face-down card!"

"My turn, then..." said Ishi. "I'll activate my second face-down Rock Bombardment. I don't want you to get ahead, after all..."

Four: 2400

_To bad that's my last face-down Rock Bombardment..._ thought Ishi. He looked over his hand. _Oh well. She's down to twenty-four hundred Life Points. _

"Alright!" he said. "First I'll play my own Pot of Greed, drawing two cards! Then I'll play the continuous spell card, Texture Shuffle! Here's what it does. I can trade in on spell in my hand that has 'Texture' in its card name for another spell in my deck that has 'Texture' in the card name! And I choose to switch Vesicular Texture with another Texture card, Pyroclastic Texture! Next, I'll play Monster Reborn, reviving Mafic Warrior- Basalt (900/2100)! Then I'll play the combo, completing Mafic Compound- Breccia (2400/0)! Now Breccia will attack your Breeze Assassin!"

"I activate the spell card, Shrink." said Four. "Now your monster has its attack points halved (1200)."

"Well, you still lose your monster." said Ishi (FLP: 1700).

"Whatever." said Four. "It's all according to my plan..."

"I end my turn, then." said Ishi (2400/0).

"My turn!" said Four. "Ishi, it's finally almost time for your death! I summon Oceanic Assassin (500/500) in attack mode! Next I'll play Assassin Revenge Build-Up, decreasing your monster's attack points by the total combined attack and defense points of all assassins in my graveyard. Although if your monster's attack points are about to reach zero, it stops one short of that (400).

"Now Dripping Assassin will attack your monster, and use its effect of doubling its attack points while in battle with a monster with a higher original attack points than its current ones (1000)!"

Ishi: 2400

"Not bad." said Ishi, adding the spell back into his hand.

"I end my turn!"

"You've destroyed another one of my monsters..." said Ishi, continuing. "You're really strong, mother."

"Of course I am!" said Four. "Far stronger than you, fool!"

"Hmph." said Ishi. "You're still calling me a fool?"

"Of course!" said Four. "You're a worthless fool of a son! You're smart, sure...but that means nothing to me! You're still foolish!"

"Hmph." said Ishi. "Looks who's talking?"

Four clenched her fists. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"MOTHER!" yelled Ishi. "IN ORDER TO KILL ME, YOU'D HAVE TO BEAT ME!

"AND YOU...CAN'T...BEAT ME!"

He raised his hand, and pointed at her. "Izuna Shihai, you're going down!"

He drew his next card. "And I'm going to prove it!"

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Next Time:

_Not Really Love, Part Two_

_Ishi and Four continue their duel, the scores falling with nearly every turn. Even though Four is continuously declaring how she's going to kill Ishi, Ishi still isn't afraid...only angry at how foolish his mother is being. Now he and Four must draw the curtain on this duel, along with the final card._

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Author's Note: Lots of new cards for Ishi. Yay for Wikipedia! I thank them for helping me with information...

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	34. Not Really Love, Part Two

Chapter Thirty-Four:

Not Really Love, Part Two

Ishi: 2400

Four: 1700

The duel was nearly even. Four had one monster on the field, Oceanic Assassin (500/500), and no spell or trap cards. Ishi, on the other hand, had no monsters, but he had one face-down card and the continuous spell card known as Texture Shuffle.

It was Ishi's turn.

"Alright, mother!" said Ishi. "Let's finish this! I play Pyroclastic Texture on a card in my hand, Felsic Warrior- Rhyolite (1600/1300) in order to play another version of Breccia! Felsic Compound- Breccia (2000/2000)! Now Breccia will destroy your Assassin, bringing you down to almost zero!"

"I discard Assassin's Shield from my hand in order to negate all damage!" said Four, discarding said card.

"Damn." said Ishi, as Oceanic Assassin was destroyed.

Four: 1700

"I end my turn, then." said Ishi.

"My turn!" said Four. "And now that I have three Assassins in my graveyard, I can finally play this card! Meet the spell card, Triple Assassin Pride! Now I can remove all three from my graveyard in order to special summon the most powerful monster in my deck!"

She placed the card on her duel disk. It was dressed in a dark robe, and held a knife in each hand. It had no seeable emotion, considering it was wearing a mask.

"Meet Assassin Lord (2000/2000) who seems to have the same attack and defense points as your monster! Heh heh...use your effect and eliminate Breccia!"

Ishi frowned as Breccia was destroyed, looking at his hand as he added his Texture card back to it for help. There was nothing like Assassin's Shield in his hand...

_I can't save myself from the coming attack..._ he thought.

"Attack Ishi directly!" exclaimed Four.

Ishi: 400

"Damn...you..." said Ishi. He had fallen onto the ground because of that attack. _But I'm.._._not beaten yet!_

"I end my turn." said Four. In respose, Ishi drew his next card.

"Alright, Four!" said Ishi. "It's time for my victory!"

"Hmph. You lie." said Four.

"I don't." said Ishi. "I use the effect of Texture Shuffle again, shuffling Pyroclastic Texture in for Pegmatitic Texture! Now I'll use it on Mafic Warrior- Gabbro (1800/500) and play Mafic Compound- Gabbro Pegmatite (2400/1000)!"

"Heh." said Four. "You can't beat me with a card like that!"

"You're right, I can't." said Ishi. "But this card's effect allows me to activate a trap card from my deck when it's sent to the graveyard, so I'll use that effect...by sacrificing it for Mafic Warrior- Scoria (1200/600)!"

A monster with a similar look as to Pumice appeared, although it was darker.

"This rock is believed to be the mafic rock version of the felsic rock, pumice!" said Ishi. "So Pegasus created it with the switched attack and defense points of Pumice. Also, since it's a level six monster, it has a great effect. But first, Gabbro Pegmatite's effect. I'll use it to play Rock Bombardment from my deck!"

Four: 1200

"Hmph. All you succeeded in doing was getting a field weak enough for me to beat you with. Ishi, you are still a fool!"

"No." said Ishi. "You're the fool. After all, you still haven't figured out that I'm going to use Scoria's effect to beat you...

"Scoria, attack!"

Scoria rushed up to Assassin Lord, but the Lord struck back. They continued their battle for a few seconds, until Scoria got a sudden burst of strength...and finished off the Assassin Lord (3200).

"What the hell happened?!" yelled Four. "How did your monster gain two thousand attack points?!"

"While attacking, Scoria gains his opponent's attacks points as a boost." said Ishi. "And Four...this means you take two thousand Life Points damage...you've lost."

Four: 0

"NO!" yelled Four, as the holograms disappeared. "No! I can't have lost! You...I WANT TO KILL YOU!"

Ditching her duel disk, she drew a knife from her pocket. She ran towards Ishi with that knife...

"_Yes." said Aizen. "And, as I've just learned, I can actually use the dead for my experiments. So I guess it doesn't matter...if I kill you all!"_

_He rushed forward, bringing the knife down on Koyuki, who didn't move._

"_KOYUKI!" exclaimed Minami, who had been able to move away, along with the other five._

"_Ugh..." said Koyuki, right before her head was split._

"_No..." whispered Taro. There was blood everywhere. "Koyuki..."_

"No..." said Ishi. "I'm not...going to be killed..."

At the last second, he dodged the knife, and pulled Four's knife hand behind her body.

"Sorry, mother." said he. "But it's you...who's going to die."

He over-powered her and brought the knife into her heart. She turned her head slowly, and looked at him.

"You've...grown..." she said. "So...much...

"You're not...a fool, I guess..."

With those last words on her lips, she died. Ishi dropped her, looking sadly at her body.

"Goodbye, mother." he said.

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Later that night, Ishi took her ship out about an hour's journey out. He sat there quietly, with his mother's body...and then threw it off the ship. After that, he went back to the island...where he saw his friends, waiting for him.

They all smiled faintly at each other...

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A few days later...

Five held a book in his hands, and he was staring at it.

"Sorry, brother..." he muttered.

He opened the book.

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Next Time:

_No Rest! Three and Two!_

_Only one day_ _after Five's departure and Four's death, Three and Two arrive on the island. With their arrival, Miro and Yoshiko step up to face them. In the first set of these two duels, it's Yoshiko versus Three! Can Yoshiko have enough heart to drive her to win?_

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Author's Note: I miss those good old two-part duels...

So poor Izuna had to die. Oh, well. She seemed to like dying at Ishi's hands...

School time now, please R&R!

-Salazare


	35. No Rest! Three and Two!

Chapter Thirty-Five:

No Rest! Three and Two!

Five sat in his lab, reading his brother's book. He was writing down notes from the book.

_It should be done tomorrow._ He thought. _That's all the time I need. Until then, One, Two, and Three will be trying to defeat Ishi and his friends..._

He looked up from the book. _Though One will probably want me to come with him, in the event of his victory. So...yes, that's perfect._

_I wonder, though, if Three and Two beat their chosen enemies yet?_

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Three days before...

On a boat, a thirteen-year-old boy and an thirty-year-old man stood next to each other.

"So we're almost there." said the boy. He looked at the big man beside him. "Are you ready, Two?"

"Yes, Three." said Two quietly. "We shall succeed where the other nine failed."

They looked at the island in the distance.

"It's almost time for the 'Zero Hour' project!"

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Ishi, Yoshiko, and Miro were all silently sitting along the beach. They were watching a boat come in from the distance.

"This might as well be a regular practice by now..." muttered Yoshiko.

Ishi nodded. "Three is on that boat for sure. Maybe Two as well. It's been only one day, so they probably haven't gotten news of Five's loss yet, and haven't learned that Four has vanished."

Miro stared at Ishi. He seemed to be very calm about having to kill his own mother.

Ishi turned his head, and saw Miro staring at him.

"What's wrong, Miro?" he asked.

"Nothing..." said the detective. "Nothing at all..."

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Three Days Later...

One was sitting on his throne, his head propped up by his fist.

_Four has yet to return to me. I can only think that she's dead. A pity...oh well. Soon, it will be time. Soon, I will rise up, and defeat Ishi Shihai on my own!_

_Or, if we get the information...then I can still go to Ishi and his friends, and defeat them! They will die either way, for being so annoying!_

_All annoyances must die. That's what I think..._

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Three Days Later...

The boat reached the shore.

"Hello, there." said Three, walking out of the boat. "My name is Three, and this is Two. We'd like to duel you guys."

Miro, Ishi, and Yoshiko nodded. Miro said, "Which of us would you like to duel?"

"I'll duel Yoshiko Takana." said Three, grinning. He activated his duel disk. "Any objections, Yoshiko?"

"None whatsoever." said Yoshiko. She activated her own duel disk. "Don't run away in fear of my monsters!"

"We'll see who runs away in fear of monsters..." said Three, with another smile.

Yoshiko: 4000

Three: 4000

"Let's duel!" said Yoshiko.

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Next Time:

_Gravekeeper_

_Three and Yoshiko have begun their duel, and Three's Gravekeeper monsters are causing much annoyance for Yoshiko! Can the heart duelist gather her strength and defeat one of the three strongest duelists in the organization?_

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Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter was so short. I'm just itching to reveal the 'Zero Hour' project, and who's going to be dueling in the final duel. Also, the deck of one of the final duelists. (Smiles)

I might finish the season (maybe story?) by Sunday, possibly even Saturday!

(As a side note, I'm seeing 300 over the weekend. (Smiles).)

When I finish this story, there's another story I'm starting. Kazuha Ogata is turning out to just be a story I work on when I have nothing else to work on...(tears).

Also, I need to finish the Legendary Shadows movie...

Well, please R&R!

-Salazare


	36. Gravekeeper

Chapter Thirty-Six:

Gravekeeper

Yoshiko: 4000

Three: 4000

"I'll go first, then!" said Three, drawing. "I set a monster in defense mode, as well as a card face-down! I end my turn."

"My turn." said Yoshiko, also drawing. "And I'll play the spell card, Pure Heart Testing! I can look at the top two cards of my deck, and special summon any monsters with 'Pure of Heart' in their card name!"

She looked at the cards and, grinning, showed them to Three. "Pure of Heart- Kindness (1600/700) and Pure of Heart- Generosity (1500/1600)! Then I'll summon a third monster, Pure of Heart- Love (1500/600)! Love will increase the attack points of herself, and my other monsters, by three hundred now (1900/700) (1800/1600) (1800/600)! And now Kindness will attack (1900)!"

Three smiled as his monster was revealed to be Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000) (YLP: 3900). "My monster isn't destroyed, and its effect is activated. Now I'll special summon Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) from my deck in defense mode! His effect activates, giving you five hundred damage!"

Yoshiko: 3400

"Fine." said the girl. "I'll just have Generosity destroy the Curse!"

As the staff-wielding gravekeeper vanished, Three shrugged.

"I end my turn." said Yoshiko.

Three drew, and simply placed another monster onto his duel disk. "A face-down monster, and I end my turn."

Yoshiko drew, and looked over her hand. Nothing. "Kindness attacks that new monster!"

Three sighed. "It's another Spy...(1200/2000) (YLP: 3300)."

"Damn!" said Yoshiko, as another Gravekeeper's Curse appeared on the field (YLP: 2800).

"I'll destroy it with Love!"

Again, Three shrugged.

"A face-down card. I guess I end my turn, after that." said Yoshiko.

"My turn!" said Three. "This duel seems to be awfully repetitive...I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"You've got a point..." said Yoshiko, smiling. "So I guess I'll play the card I just drew. Go, Pure Love Zone (2200) (2100) (2100)."

"All monster with 'Pure of Heart' in their card names now gain three hundred extra attack points!" exclaimed Miro. "Awesome!"

"Now I'll use my first two monsters, Kindness and Generosity, to crush your current Spies!" said Yoshiko.

The two monsters dropped to their knees in demise as the two bigger monsters struck them down. Yoshiko smiled, now, pointing to Love.

"Now Pure of Heart- Love (2100) will attack your face-down monster!"

"My final Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000)." said Three. It was destroyed, but another Curse appeared on the field, as if to take its place (800/800).

Yoshiko: 2300

"I end my turn." said Yoshiko, ignoring the small fry.

Three drew, and gave a big grin. "Yoshiko, I've draw my favourite card! I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Curse in order to summon it, as well! Meet Gravekeeper's Chief (1900/1200)!"

Appearing now was a tan man holding a golden staff with a serpent on it. He wore somewhat royal robes, and drew his arms from his sides in a praying motion.

Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) returned, pointing its staff towards Yoshiko (YLP: 1800).

"The monster that can bring back Gravekeeper's monsters..." muttered Yoshiko. "An annoying card."

"And a strong one." said Three. "Especially when I play Necrovalley, increasing the power of all 'Gravekeeper's' monsters (2400/1700 and 1300/1300), and negating all effects involving the graveyard...for you only, though, considering I have my Chief on the field."

Yoshiko nodded, and looked at the Chief. He raised his staff. "And now my Chief will destroy Love!"

Love (1800) screamed as the Chief's attack hit her. With her death, the other monsters grew back to their normal power (1600 and 1500).

Yoshiko: 1200

"Yoshiko still hasn't touched his Life Points!" exclaimed Miro.

"That's right." said Three. "Sorry, Yoshiko, but you've not strong enough to beat one of the top three duelists in the Twelve Hours of the Night!"

"Is your turn over yet?" asked Yoshiko, looking at Three. She seemed to have ignored him.

"...yes." said Three.

Yoshiko drew. Then she played her drawn card in her duel disk. "First is Mystical space Typhoon, ridding us of your face-down card! Then I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. And then I'll use both of them! Heart Unlock is first, using its effect to allow me to add one card with 'heart' in its card name to my hand! I'll play my chosen card, Pure of Heart- Destroyer (1900/400)! Now meet the finally card for my combo! The second copy of Pure Love Zone (2200) (1900) (1800)!"

"Nice..." said Three. "Now Necrovalley is destroyed, reducing my monsters' attack points again...(1900) (800). Very good..."

"And it gets better!" said Yoshiko. "Pure of Heart- Destroyer...do what you do best, and destroy the Chief!"

Three: 3700

"Nice..." said Three. "Very, very nice..."

"Next, Kindness (1900) will defeat your Curse!"

Three: 2600

"Good, but you only have one monster left..." said Three. "And I have many Life Points..."

Ignoring him, Yoshiko continued to speak. "Generosity (1800) will now attack you directly! But first, I chain a trap card! Pure Kindness! The weakest monster on the field now, until the end of the turn, gains one thousand attack points!"

Three was shocked. "No way! That means...you can reduce my Life Points...!"

"To zero!" said Yoshiko. "Generosity (2800) finishes his attack, doing just that!"

Three fell to his knees as the attack concluded (TLP: 0). "Heh, so I lost. But at least it was close..."

Yoshiko sighed. _He's right, that was very close..._

Two smiled. "Don't worry, Three. I'll defeat my opponent. Miro Miyake, step up."

Miro nodded, and activated his duel disk. Two did as well.

Miro: 4000

Two: 4000

"I'm ready!" said Miro. "Duel!"

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Next Time:

_Burning Passion_

_Now it's Miro versus the second-strongest member in the Twelve Hours of the Night- Two! This quiet duelist has cards that show the true flame inside of his heart! _

_Meanwhile, One and Five set off to the island, Five putting only the finishing touches on the project!_

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Author's Note: The threads are now coming together!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	37. Burning Passion

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

Burning Passion

Miro: 4000

Two: 4000

"My turn, first." said Two. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Miro drew, and looked at the field. Smiling to himself, he placed a monster on his duel disk.

"I summon Detective- Kudo Shinichi (1700/1700)!" said Miro. "And then his effect activates! I can special summon Detective- Miyano Shiho (1500/1700) from my deck! After that, I'll play Crime Beckons! This'll allow me to special summon one monster from my deck with 'Detective' in its card name! So I special summon Detective- Kojima Genta (1000/1000), allowing me to special summon another member of the Junior Detective League from my hand! So I special summon Detective- Yoshida Ayumi (1000/1000)!"

Shinichi appeared on the field, wearing a blue blazer and a black tie, grinning. Shiho appeared next to him, frowning. She had chestnut brown hair, and wore long, red leather. Next, a young, fat boy wearing a green shirt and beige shorts appeared on the field, picking his nose. Finally, a young girl wearing a red sweater appeared, having a hairband of the colour white.

"So he plans to rush him..." muttered Ishi.

"And now Shinichi attacks your face-down monster!" exclaimed Miro.

"Heh." said Three.

Two revealed his monster. It was a human-shaped fireball holding a huge shield of fire. "Hellish Guard (900/1900) seems to be stronger than your monster..."

"Damn!" said Miro (MLP: 3800).

"I end my turn, then..." said Miro.

"My turn..." said Two. He looked at his hand. "Um...I guess I'll play Dark Hole..."

"No way!" exclaimed Miro, as all of his monsters, as well as Two's Hellish Guard, vanished into the dark vortex.

"And then I'll summon Hellish Burner (2000/1000) in attack mode...and I'll play the field spell, Dark Depths of Hell...giving my monster extra attack points...(2400)! So now he'll attack you directly!"

The new human-shaped fireball attacked Miro with a small burst of fire, although the new pits of lava made it bigger.

Miro: 1400

"Arg!" he said. He fell to his knees as the attack hit.

"Wow..." said Yoshiko. "Miro couldn't stand up to that attack at all..."

"One way or another, this duel is going to be over quickly..." said Ishi. "Let's just hope that it's in Miro's favour...Two's deck is very simple, remember. That can be both an advantage...and a disadvantage."

"I end my turn..." said Two.

"My turn!" said Miro. He took a look at his drawn card. "Alright, it's time to start over again! I play Detective- Mouri Ran (1300/1500) in defense mode! Then my turn ends!"

"My turn..." said Two. "I'll summon Hellish Burner (2000 + 400/1000) in attack mode again, and have it attack Ran."

"Ran's effect activates!" said Miro. "Once per turn, she can negate one attack against her!"

"Alright, then my second Hellish Burner will destroy her..." said Two.

Ran burned up against the fireball shot at her, but Miro didn't flinch. He did frown, though, as he looked at the score.

Miro: 1400

Two: 4000

"Alright..." muttered Miro. "I think the cards I want to win this duel with...are the Junior Detective League..."

"What was that?" asked Two.

"Nothing." said Miro. "Is it my turn yet?"

"Yes..." said Two. "I guess I end my turn..."

"My turn!" said Miro. "And I'll draw! First off, a card face-down! Then I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us each to draw until we hold six cards in our hands!"

Both players drew a few cards each, until six cards rested in both hands. Miro grinned at his hand.

"Great! I drew all the cards I need! First off, I play two copies of Crime Beckons, first getting Detective- Haibara Ai (1000/1000) and Detective- Yoshida Ayumi (1000/1000)! Then I'll use their effects to special summon from my hand Detective- Kojima Genta (1000/1000) and Detective- Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko (1000/1000)! Then I'll normal summon the second-to-last card in my hand, Detective- Edogawa Conan (1000/1000)! Finally, I'll place a card face-down and end my turn!"

"You speak so much..." said Two. "Oh well. I guess I'll meet you monster to monster. I sacrifice my Hellish Burners in order to summon Burning Hell Lord (3000 +400/3000). Now he'll destroy Conan. Goodbye, Miro Miyake."

"Not so fast!" exclaimed Miro. "I activate my trap card, Teamwork of the Junior Detective League! When a member of the Junior Detective League is being attacked, this card can be activated and combine the attack and defense points of all members of the Junior Detective League on the field at the time (5000/5000)! So meet the counter-attack!"

All five of the children rushed at the flaming giant, eventually making him...fall over...

Two: 2400

"A good move..." said Two. "I end my turn."

"I see you're ready to lose..." said Miro.

Two nodded. "Yes, you were a fun duelist to face."

"Alright!" said Miro. "I'll attack you directly with all of my monsters! Junior Detective League...attack!"

The five children rushed Two this time, although the end result was him smiling...

Two: 0 (AKA negative 2600)

"Good game..." said Two. He looked at Three. "Shall we leave, now?"

Three nodded. He looked at Ishi. "Ishi Shihai. One...you'll face him next. He's far more powerful than any of you...that's all I can say."

Ishi nodded. "I'm prepared. Although, Three, I'm going to beat him. No matter what."

Three shrugged. "Whatever. Though, if you do...make it interesting, okay?"

Ishi nodded. "Alright."

And so the two members left. The three duelists, now standing alone on the beach, prepared themselves for the attack that they knew was to come.

But what they didn't know was that it would come...five days later...

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Three Days Later...

"Five!" said a voice.

Five looked behind himself to see One there, frowning. "What are you doing, exactly?"

Five gave a faint smile. "Sir...I-I was able to get working on the 'Zero Hour' project...and it's almost done. It should be done soon..."

One's mouth spread into a humongous grin. "Excellent! Heh heh...I know just who I want to show it to first..."

"Sir..." said Five, holding up the box that was the 'Zero Hour' project. "What did you come in here for?"

"Two and Three have been defeated. I was going to mention that I'm leaving in order to defeat Ishi Shihai myself for the information, but now I'm going to go for a far different reason. To defeat our annoying friend. Gather the remaining Hours! We shall all depart in one hour! Bring the 'Zero Hour' project!"

Five nodded. _We should reach the island in two days if we leave in one hour. Ishi, are you prepared to face the strongest enemy you'll ever face?_

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Next Time:

_Complete!_

_The final duel will soon commence, as Five finishes the 'Zero Hour' project! One now holds the simple-looking box, and prepares to use it as Duelist Academy resides in the distance..._

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Author's Note: It's almost time, the field is set!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	38. Complete!

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Complete!

Ishi was laying in his bed, eyes closed. The light was off in the room, and his two friends were sleeping.

_One will be coming next..._ thought Ishi.

_I wonder if Five completed the 'Zero Hour' project? If he did, One is most likely going to use it..._

_I wonder...can I defeat the enemy I'll have to face? I know that they're going to send it..._

_The product of the 'Zero Hour' project..._

_Iwashi, Miro, Yoshiko, Serra...are you guys ready? This will be the most important duel ever._

_And it'll probably come in a few days._

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Twelve, Eleven, Ten, Nine, Eight, Three, and Two all sat together on the deck of the ship. They all knew that Five and One were off somewhere.

"So Five completed the 'Zero Hour' project." said Twelve. "I wonder what it does...?"

Two and Three were the most silent of all. They were the only ones on the deck of the ship who knew what it did.

"Something powerful, no doubt." said Ten. "But more importantly, where are Four, Six, and Seven? Did something happen to them?"

"Who knows, who cares?" Eight said. "Six and Seven bugged me, while Four was scary!"

"You got that right!" said Eleven, bouncing around. "She was a big fat meanie head!"

"She was pretty mean and scary..." said Nine, smiling. "Maybe Ishi Shihai killed her?"

"Nah." said Twelve. "I dueled him, and I doubt he'd kill anyone. He's too nice. She probably got pissed after he beat her, though. That's what I bet he did, and she did."

Eleven nodded in agreement. "Yeah!"

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"Almost..." said Five. He looked at the clock next to him. They'd reach the island in one day.

"Only a few more minutes..." he said.

A few minutes later, he smiled. He put the cube in front of him.

"Complete!" he said happily.

It was a simple purple cube, but it held extreme power. He picked it up.

"One, it's time..." he whispered. "You can use this...you, and your friend..."

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One smiled at Five, and took the cube.

"Excellent work, Five!" he boomed. "With this, no one can stand in the way of the Twelve Hours of the Night!"

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As dawn broke, Ishi stretched. Noticing his friends were gone, he shrugged.

He got changed, and went for a walk. He knew where they would be.

As he got to the beach, he saw his friends. Iwashi, Yoshiko, Miro, and Serra. They each smiled when they saw him.

"Hey, Ishi." said Iwashi. "You ready?"

Ishi nodded. "Yeah...I am."

They looked out into the distance.

"There..." said Serra. "The boat."

They all, together, watched as the boat drew closer.

_It's time..._ thought Ishi.

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Next Time:

_The Cube's Activation_

_As the boat lands, the enemies all exchange greetings while One and Five come ashore. Then, the time comes...the cube is drawn on._

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Author's Note: Sweet! We finally (I mean, you finally (laughs)) get to find out what the 'Zero Hour' project is!

Typing that is getting annoying, actually (frowns).

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	39. The Cube's Activation

Chapter Thirty-Nine:

The Cube's Activation

The ship was coming closer, Ishi and his friends could see it.

"It's time." said Ishi, standing proud. "Are you all ready?"

"Hell yeah!" said Yoshiko.

"Of course!" said Miro.

"Yes..." said Serra.

"You bet!" said Iwashi.

Ishi nodded. "Then let's prepare for them..."

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One hour later, the boat reached the shore. Twelve, Eleven, Ten, Nine, Eight, Three, and Two walked onto the shore.

"Hey, Twelve." said Ishi.

"Hello, Eleven and Two." said Miro.

"Hey, Three and Eight." said Yoshiko.

"Yo, Nine." said Iwashi.

"Hello, Ten." said Serra.

The seven enemies nodded. They each said their hellos as well.

"So..." said Ishi. "Where are Six, Seven, One, and Five?"

Three frowned. "You haven't heard yet? Six and Seven..."

Serra's eyes opened wide. "...are dead..."

"NO!" yelled Serra. "NO! SOUTA! IKUJI!"

Yoshiko grabbed her, because she had started toward the enemies. "WHO THE HELL KILLED THEM?!"

Two frowned, now. "It was Four..."

Serra stopped struggling. "That monster...killed my brothers..."

She looked down at the ground. "Damn it..."

Look away from Serra, Ishi looked back at Three. "So where are Five and One?"

"Right here." said a voice.

It was Ishi's first time laying eyes on One. He stood at six feet tall, and had a small beard. He was bald, and wore an accomplished expression. He was wearing a long, black, trenchcoat.

Behind him stood Five, smiling faintly and holding a purple cube.

"Hello, One." said Ishi. "And hello Five."

"Hello, Ishi." said Five. "It's nice to see you again..."

Ishi nodded. "You as well."

"Ishi Shihai." said One, smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

He stepped down. "I've heard that you and your friends have defeated all except for me. That's very good. And I suppose you killed Four?"

"Yes." said Ishi. "She was my mother."

"Ah." said One. "So that was the hate I felt from her when we first met. Well, Ishi Shihai..."

He held his hand out behind him, and Five put the cube in it. "I wanted, at first, to duel you for the information...but, as you see, that's no longer needed."

The evil man smiled. "Ishi Shihai, his friends, and my companions! Marvel at this! The 'Zero Hour' project! Which...I shall now use!"

He grasped the cube tightly. The sky darkened, bringing rain and thunder quickly to the island.

Ishi, Five, and One were the only ones not looking around wildly. One was looking at his hand, Ishi was looking at One, and Five was looking at Ishi.

The cube suddenly produced a strange spiritual figure from it, entering One's body.

"IT'S TIME!" he roared, making all look at him.

Shadows engulfed all of the duelists, forming a bubble.

"THE SHADOW GAME IS HERE, AS IS THE SUBJECT OF THE 'ZERO HOUR' PROJECT!"

Horns grew on One's body, as well as claws and wings. He grinned widely.

A few seconds later, he spoke.

"Ishi Shihai." he said, activating his duel disk. "My name is Zero. I have come back from the grave...it seems with the features of a demon."

Ishi frowned. "Hello, Zero. I suppose you'll be my opponent?"

"Yes." he said. "Now, activate your duel disk."

Ishi did so. "Well, Zero...we'll see who's stronger."

"Yes." said Zero. "Although I have utter confidence that it shall be me."

Ishi: 4000

Zero: 4000

"Begin!" said Zero.

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Next Time:

_Zero Hour, Part One_

_Ishi and Zero now face off, each wielding their strongest cards. But even with new cards, how can Ishi defeat the most powerful opponent imaginable? _

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Author's Note: The plan is revealed, and the final duel starts! I wonder who will win!

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	40. Zero Hour, Part One

Chapter Forty:

Zero Hour, Part One

Ishi: 4000

Zero: 4000

"Go, Ishi!" yelled Iwashi.

All of the Hours stayed silent. A few of them had seen Ishi's strength first-hand, so they somewhat wanted to cheer him on...and the others were afraid of Zero...

_Ishi..._ thought Twelve.

Ishi's friends, on the other hand, were still marveling at Zero.

_Amazing!_ Miro thought. _They were able to revive someone from the dead! And summon one of the legendary 'Shadow Games'! _

_I sense great power..._ thought Serra. _I'm afraid..._

_You can do it, Ishi!_ Thought Iwashi. _Beat this pile of crap!_

_Ishi..._ thought Yoshiko. _Be strong..._

Ishi drew a card. "I'm going first, if you don't mind."

He looked at his card, and smiled. "It's time for the lights to shine on my new cards! I summon Mafic Golem (1800/1800) in defense mode!"

A giant dark stone creature appeared on the field, holding its knees with its giant stone arms.

"Hmph, interesting." said Zero.

"I end my turn with a face-down card." said Ishi.

"My turn, then." said Zero. He drew, and looked at his hand. With a wide grin, he placed a spell card into one of his duel disk slots for spell card trap cards. "I play the one-of-a-kind spell card, Twelfth Hour Summon! Now I can special summon from my deck, Hour Beast- Twelve (1500/1500)."

The monster design was oddly simple. It was the number twelve, with small sticks for arms and legs.

Zero was still smiling. "But I'm not done yet. Next I'll play the field spell card, Passage of Time! Now all monsters with a word relating to time in their card name gain five hundred attack and defense points (2000/2000)! So now my powered-up monster will destroy your Mafic Golem!"

As the dark golem was destroyed, Ishi frowned. "That wasn't too good."

"You bet." said Zero. "I end my turn."

"My turn, then." said Ishi, drawing a card. "And I'll use it to summon Felsic Golem (1800/1800) in attack mode. And then I'll play two spell cards! The first is Monster Reborn, reviving my Mafic Golem (1800/1800)! And the second is Polymerization! Now both of my monsters will be fused together in order to create...Intermediate Golem (2500/2000)!"

A giant rock creature of the colour white appeared, bringing its rock fists to its side. It then raised one, and gave off the impression of confidence.

"Now he'll destroy Twelve!" said Ishi.

The number didn't try and fight back at all, it simply gave in. Zero smiled.

Zero: 3500

"When my monster is destroyed, two things happen. One, I get Eleventh Hour Summon from my deck, and I get to add it to my hand. Two, your battle phase ends."

Ishi nodded. "Alright, I'll end my turn after that."

Zero drew his next card, and placed a familiar card into his duel disk. "I activate Eleventh Hour Summon! Meet Hour Beast- Eleven (1550 + 500/ 1550 + 500)!"

The number eleven with small black sticks as legs appeared, pumping up its arms as muscles.

"It's in defense mode, of course." said Zero. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" said Ishi. "Intermediate Golem will now destroy your weakling!"

Zero: 3500 (still)

"Not bad." said Zero. "But now I get Tenth Hour Summon from my deck, and your battle phase ends."

"Fine by me." said Ishi. _At this rate, his deck might run out of cards..._

Zero drew his next card, and smiled. "Excellent! I play Seventh Hour Summon!"

"He skipped a few numbers!" said Yoshiko. "Is that fair?"

"Yes." said Five. "If he draws the card, he can play it. It's a normal duel monsters rule."

"So now Hour Beast- Seven (1750 + 500/1750 + 500) is summoned." said Zero, ignoring the past exchange. "He's in defense mode still, though, considering he's too weak to destroy your monster, if only by a little. I end my turn."

"My turn, then." said Ishi. _Damn. At this rate, he's going to get out a stronger monster very soon...each of those monsters gets stronger by fifty attack and defense points. So One would definitely be able to defeat me...and if there's a Zero, it's probably his strongest card. _

Ishi drew his next card. "I guess I'll play Pot of Greed, drawing two new cards. And then I'll set them both face-down. Now your Hour Beast will be destroyed!"

Seven merely shrugged its stick-shoulders as the Golem struck it down. Zero grabbed Sixth Hour Summon from his deck.

"I end my turn." said Ishi.

"My turn." said Zero, as the three cards on Ishi's side of the field activated. They were all labeled 'Rock Bombardment'.

"I activate three copies of Rock Bombardment!" said Ishi. "Discarding three rock-type monsters from my deck!"

Three boulders were hurled at Zero, although he dodged them. Chips of rock still hit him, though.

Zero: 2000

"Nice." said Zero. _But it's almost time, Ishi Shihai..._

"Thanks." said Ishi.

"Alright." said Zero. "I'll play Fourth Hour Summon, playing Hour Beast- Four (1900 + 500/1900 + 500)."

The number four with stick arms and legs appeared. It shuddered for some reason.

"I end my turn." said Zero, with another one of his big grins.

"My turn!" said Ishi. "And now I set a card face-down! Attack Four, my monster!"

Four vanished after being destroyed, and Zero added Third Hour Summon to his hand. His grin only widened as he looked at his deck.

"I...end my turn..." said Ishi, finally growing suspicious.

"I DRAW!" said Zero. He looked at his drawn card.

_Good. I drew it._

He placed the card roughly into his spell zone. "I PLAY ZERO HOUR SUMMON!"

The thunder from the outside of the bubble seemed to magnify. All but Ishi, Zero, Serra, and Five covered their ears.

A huge human-like creature appeared. It was about thirty feet tall, and had huge muscles, although many of them were covered in armour. IT held a giant spear that had its bottom shaped in the number zero.

"Meet Hour Beast- Zero (2900 + 500/2900 + 500)!" exclaimed Zero. "The monster that will be your demise!"

Ishi bit his lip. _Damn, that's one big monster..._

He looked around, and suddenly realized something.

"Attack, Zero!" said Zero. The monster struck Ishi's Golem, forcing it to crumble into rubble.

Ishi had realized that all eyes (except for Zero and Five) were on him, not the beast. They all had something in their eyes, one single word...

"Win..." whispered Ishi. "I...will win..."

Ishi: 3100

"No matter the odds..." said Ishi, his voice rising over the lightning. "I will win, Zero! You can count on it!"

"I doubt that, I end my turn."

"And I being mine!" said Ishi. "Zero, my victory will come soon!"

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Next Time:

_Zero Hour, Part Two_

_Ishi and Zero now have lost Life Points, and yet Zero has summoned the strongest monster in his deck. If Ishi can defeat this monster, he can win._

_But can he defeat the monster?_

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Author's Note: The turns of this duel seemed a little repetitive, but it was still fun to write...

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	41. Zero Hour, Part Two

Chapter Forty-One:

Zero Hour, Part Two

Ishi: 3100

Zero: 2000

Ishi drew his card, and looked at his hand. He had a plan to win.

The field was a simple one. Zero had Hour Beast- Zero (3400/3400) on the field, alone with 'Passage of Time', a field spell card which had increased its power by five hundred. Ishi, on the other hand, had only a face-down card. He had no monsters...

"Alright!" said Ishi. "One card face-down! I end my turn!"

"And I'll end the duel!" said Zero. "Die, Ishi Shihai! I attack you directly with Hour Beast- Zero!"

"Hmph." said Ishi, as the monster brought its fist down. "Don't you know that the good guys always win? I activate my face-down card, Weakness Being Rubble! Now one monster on your side of the field loses three hundred attack points for each rock-type monster in my graveyard until the end of the turn! And there are three in my graveyard (2500)!"

Ishi: 600

"Ugh..." said the duelist of rocks, falling to his knees. He realized that blood was dripping from his lip.

_Damn..._ he thought. _This hurts...is this the power of the Shadow Game?_

As if he read Ishi's thoughts, Zero spoke. "The powers of the Realm of Darkness- Shadow Realm- are causing the powers of the monsters to actually hurt us! Ishi Shihai, you shall die by the final attack of my Hour Beast!"

Ishi, ignoring Zero for a second, noticed that his right hand was broken. Although he could still move his arm, it was painful.

Now he spoke to Zero, "Zero, it's I who will win! Not you!"

"Prove it!" boomed Zero. "I end my turn!"

Ishi drew a card, and smiled slightly.

_Ah...now I can...win..._

His strength was dimming, though. He had to hurry, before he lost consciousness...

"I activate Rebuilding the Rock...special summoning Intermediate Golem (2500/2500) back from my graveyard. And then I play my face-down card, De-Fusion!"

The monster disappeared, making Mafic Golem (1800/1800) and Felsic Golem (1800/1800) return to the field. "Heh...and now I'll sacrifice both of...them..."

The two monsters disappeared, and Ishi tried to put his new monster on the duel disk, but missed. He stumbled, and he was seeing double.

_Must...continue..._ said Ishi. He placed the card on his duel disk.

"I sacrifice them both for...Ultramafic Golem (3000/3000)!" said Ishi, now his voice starting to disappear.

_I can't lose..._

He forced his mouth into a grin. "This was a fun game, Zero...but now I have to end it...my monster is a level seven monster...so I can play Double Attack and send Ultramafic Lord- Kimberlite (Level 8) to the graveyard in order to allow it to attack twice..."

"But your monster is still too weak." said Zero, with a smirk.

"I play...Mystical Space Typhoon..." said Ishi. "And I'll destroy the Passage of Time field spell card..."

Zero gasped as his spell card was destroyed (2900/2900).

"And now...Ultramafic Golem will destroy Hour Beast- Zero..." said Ishi.

The deep dark golem slowly drew back his fist, and smashed it in the Hour Beast's face.

Zero: 1900

"And now...he'll...attack you directly..." said Ishi. He was at the point of exhaustion. "End...

"This...duel..."

The golem, still by where it destroyed the Hour Beast, looked down at Zero. The latter stared up in fear, but then smiled.

"Very good, Ishi! This was a fun game! I'm glad it was someone like you, who killed me!"

The golem drew back its fist, and brought it down.

It brutally smashed Zero, forcing all of his bones to break. Blood splattered everywhere, and when he removed his fist, Zero was no longer...

Thw shadows started to clear, as did the rainy sky on the outside. Ishi couldn't see anything, though...

_Did I win...?_ he thought. He started to fall...

He was on the ground...

_Either way, it's time to rest..._

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Zero opened his eyes. Around him were jets shooting off lava. In front of him were two familiar faces.

"One and Four." he said. The two looked at him.

"Hello, Zero." said One. "So you return to where I brought you back from. I guess you lose against Ishi?"

"Yes..." said Zero. "But it was enjoyable. I'm sorry that your plan backfired."

One shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah." said Four. "Besides..."

Zero grinned. "I know what you two are thinking. 'Hell might be interesting'. Well, you're right!"

They all looked around, seeing scenes before depicted only in their minds.

"I'll show you around..." said Zero, one of his big grins showing...

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Next Time:

_Epilogue: Night Ends_

_One month after the battle against Zero in the Shadow Bubble, the five heroes get together and speak. _

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Author's Note: One chapter left. I think I'm fairly satisfied with this story (although, is it was pointed out, there aren't too many reviews. :P).

Please R&R!

-Salazare


	42. Epilogue: Night Ends

Chapter Forty-Two:

Epilogue: Night Ends

It was a sunny day, and a Saturday, no less. All students of Duelist Academy were outside playing.

Ishi Shihai was sitting on the beach, a few feet away from the spot of his duel with Zero one month ago.

_Zero..._ he thought, feeling pity for his enemy.

_I've killed four people now._ He thought_. Four lives..._

He let himself fall down so he was laying in the sand. He closed his eyes. _It's been so long...but now..._

"...Ishi." said a voice.

Ishi opened his eyes to see Iwashi's face above him. He had with him Miro, Yoshiko, and Serra.

"You guys always seem to know where to find me..." he muttered.

Smiles came from his friends.

"Hell yeah!" Iwashi exclaimed.

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The other four were now sitting with him on the beach. They all stared out into the ocean.

"I wonder what the surviving members are doing now...?" thought Yoshiko, aloud.

"...who knows..." said Serra. Her voice seemed said. "It's too bad, though, that Ikuji and Souta...got killed like that..."

Miro nodded. "Yes..."

Ishi looked up at the sun, raising his hand as a shield. The hand was no longer broken, but he had a scar running up his entire right arm, all the way up to his shoulder. "It's been...so long..."

"_Hey." said a voice. "You. Kid."_

"As we look back...so much has happened..."

"_Kid...what are you doing, lying here? You'll get pneumonia and die."_

Iwashi, Miro, Yoshiko, and Serra nodded, each looking at Ishi.

"So much that it seems unreal..."

"_...I hope so." said Yoriko. "So many others are lost...I don't want to see more people die. I'd give up my own life to save them! And I'll be damned if they just throw away what I've helped them find!"_

Tears came to Ishi's eyes. "And yet...in the end..."

"_Ishi..." she said. "Be strong..."_

"In the end...it was real. The pain, the sorrow...the victory."

"_NO!" exclaimed Ishi, as Yoriko was dragged in. Ishi moved to try and get to her. _

_Ishi stopped, and the room burst into flames..._

Through his tears, he smiled. "But...I know that, in the end...all sorrow must end. You have to smile...in the end..."

He smiled. His friends followed his example.

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"Yoriko..." he said, that night. "How was that? Did I...atone?"

"_...yes..."_ Yoriko seemed to be in front of him. She smiled.

Ishi smiled back. "Thank you, Yoriko..."

He raised up his arm, which bore the scare. He now wore the bracelet of rocks on it as well, though.

"I love you..."

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Duelist of Rocks, Ishi Shihai: The End

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Author's Note: As I said before, I'm pretty satisfied with most of this story.

I'm also glad, though, that I've finished it. Although I have to say, this final chapter is pretty short...

Oh well. This story was fun to write, and the ending was interesting to think up as well!

Please R&R! I look forward to seeing you all review this story even after it's over (xD) and in my next big work! And what could it be...?

THE SEQUEL TO LEGENDARY SHADOWS!

Joy to the world, people. :P

I'll get up chapter one as soon as I can think up a plot for the story. Just know that it's next!

Again, please R&R! And thank you for sitting through this story!

-Salazare

(Side note: Yes, that scene from the second-to-last chapter was based off of that in Rurouni Kenshin Volume 17 (Chapter 147 (Kyoto Epilogue): Fate of the Juppongatana (Part Two))


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